In Israel, teenagers can now get the COVID-19 vaccine

A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
(JTA) — Israel continues to far outpace the entire world in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
This weekend the country’s health ministry announced that teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 are now eligible for the vaccine.
In all, Israel has vaccinated about 2.5 million out of its approximately 9 million citizens since beginning its drive in late December, the ministry said Friday.
At the same time, the country is in the midst of a strict third national lockdown due to a recent sharp spike in COVID cases.
The health ministry reported that 7,316 new cases were confirmed Friday. Earlier in the week, the new case number peaked at over 10,000, a record.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chief