Roughly 70% of Jerusalem residents got first jab of COVID-19 vaccine

The second dose of the vaccine was given to almost half of the city's population.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A healthcare worker hands over doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a doctor at Messe Wien Congress Center, which has been set up as coronavirus disease vaccination centre, in Vienna, Austria February 7, 2021. (photo credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER/FILE PHOTO)
A healthcare worker hands over doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to a doctor at Messe Wien Congress Center, which has been set up as coronavirus disease vaccination centre, in Vienna, Austria February 7, 2021.
(photo credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER/FILE PHOTO)
Roughly 70% of Jerusalem residents have received their first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine and nearly half got both shots, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday. 
 
In east Jerusalem, 61% of residents, mostly Arabs, got the vaccine in contrast to 17% in February.
The progress is thought to be mostly due to large-scale campaigns by the Jerusalem Municipality as well as the Health Ministry.
A similar leap forward was noted among ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jews, now at 60% compared to 33% who took the first shot in February. 
"More and more Jerusalem residents are getting vaccinated from all sectors," said Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. "I call on all those who have still not done so to please go out and get vaccinated. Only then can we return to normalcy."