Teens aged from 16 to 18 years old have started receiving Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccines with permission from their parents ahead of university admission exams. The vaccination is done “to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams” according to an education ministry spokeswoman. The exams are necessary for the students in their last year of high school to determine their future in university. They also affect the students’ placement in the military, which is compulsory in Israel. However, the education ministry is still undecided whether schools should reopen next month or not.

Israel is the only country in the world that has the highest vaccination drive, vaccinating 10% of its population by the end of 2020. It started providing shots on December 19 and has since vaccinated a quarter of its total population as of today. The elderly and high-risk individuals were prioritized, but people over 40 can get vaccinated as well. Israel’s hope is to restore its economy by next month, February. “Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.