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An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man receives a vaccination against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as Israel continues its national vaccination drive, during a third national COVID lockdown, in Ashdod, Israel January 4, 2021. Picture taken January 4, 2021.
LONDON (Reuters Breakingviews) - Calling a race before the first hurdle is ill-advised. The same applies to countries scrambling to vaccinate citizens. The UK and Israel have surged ahead while France is lagging. But to inoculate a significant portion of the population, countries ideally require a centralised approach, a willing populace, and no goofs. Investors should be wary of betting on early leaders.
Israel’s vaccine rollout is world-beating. The country has inoculated more than 15% of its 9 million population, nearly double the proportion of the second place United Arab Emirates. The United Kingdom and America have surged in recent weeks, but with much larger populations, have still only vaccinated under 2% of their citizens. France had by Jan. 1 only inoculated 516 people.