ON FEBRUARY 1ST researchers around the world saw the tweet for which they had been waiting: "We say with caution, the magic has started". Eran Segal, a scientist at the Weizmann Institute, had been posting regular updates on the course of Israel's co-vid-19 epidemic since its mass vaccination campaign had begun six weeks earlier. By February 1st he was seeing the number of hospitalisations dropping significantly among the over-60s-a cohort in which the number vaccinated had reached 70%, seen as a crucial level, three weeks before. After an expected but still somewhat nail-biting lag, the vaccine was doing its thing.
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