Announcement comes amid fears health officials will face uphill battle to convince Haredi community to inoculate

Yuli Edelstein says commerce will be first to be shut down, though most schools to remain open, if daily infections top 2,500 or transmission passes government-set benchmark

FDA confirms efficacy of over 94% and safety of shots, which could be approved by week's end; company to supply enough doses for 3 million Israelis

Director-general Levy and national coronavirus czar Ash meet with community leaders but encounter fears that rapidly rolled out vaccines may not be safe

Medical personnel to begin receiving inoculations on Sunday; TV says Israel currently has 313,000 doses from Pfizer, with 3.8 million expected by end of the month

Experts say no evidence that fresh coronavirus strain is more dangerous, infectious or able to evade testing

'I hope this marks the beginning of the end of the very painful time in our history,' Sandra Lindsay says after being vaccinated

While fatigue, headaches and muscle pain can be expected, clinical trials have shown that more serious reactions to inoculations are few and far between

Defense Ministry institute to begin second phase of trials, testing coronavirus vaccine on 1,000 people; third phase expected in spring

Vehicles outfitted with special refrigeration systems, some protected by armed guards, leave vaccine plant as country aims to administer shots to 20 million people by year's end