Israel has administered two doses of Covid-19 vaccine to more than half its 9.3 million population, according to its health minister, a rapid rollout that has helped the country begin emerging from pandemic closures, Reuters reports.

In a statement announcing the milestone amid a sustained drop in new Covid-19 cases, health minister Yuli Edelstein called on citizens “to follow [health] guidelines so that the coronavirus does not return”.

Israel counts East Jerusalem Palestinians as part of its population and has been providing them vaccines. It has also offered vaccines to Palestinians who work in Israel and settlements in the occupied West Bank.