Covid-19 cases and positivity rates are rising in the occupied Palestinian territories, mostly from travelers who returned from abroad. Cases in Gaza are leading, and an increasing threat to the health care systems and hospitals is looming on the horizon, Jewish Voice for Peace’s Health Advisory Council reports.
2021 was a watershed year for Palestinians. The struggle for Palestinian freedom and liberation saw unprecedented levels of global solidarity and unity amongst Palestinians despite their forced fragmentation. The year did not come without its challenges, however.
Palestinians have reimposed a state of emergency in an attempt to prevent the spread of the omicron variant.
Palestinian health officials expanded their vaccination drive on Thursday and approved shots for children age 12 and up. The previous regulations limited shots to children age 16 and older.
According to a release from Al Mezan, a Gaza-based human rights monitor, at the start of September “38% of essential drugs and 22% of medical disposables were at ‘zero stock’” in Gaza.
Beginning in November, Palestinians will need to present proof of vaccine status, confirming they have received three doses in order to cross checkpoints to work in Israel and West Bank settlements.
As COVID-19 testing finally increased in Palestine over the last month so did the number of positive cases and deaths.
Health officials have now mandated vaccines for government employees and students, and are offering up to $200 in prize money to encourage taking the jab among skeptics.