After months of a stalled rollout, the vaccination rate in the West Bank and Gaza has increased to nearly a quarter of the eligible population, following new inoculation sites.
Of countries that are moving forward with administering a third dose, all have vaccination rates over 60%, while the lowest-income countries have a vaccination rate hovering around 1%.
Israelis over 60 will receive a third coronavirus vaccine, or booster shot, after new cases skyrocketed from an outbreak of the more contagious Delta variant. It’s unclear whether or not Palestinians will adopt these measures, as of now most of the Palestinian population is not fully vaccinated. In fact, according to the ministry of health, only 412,136 have received both jabs.
As “more and more cases of the infectious Delta variant” are confirmed, the World Health Organization said Thursday it “fears that the fourth wave of COVID-19 is around the corner” for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, reversing the first major decrease in new cases that had occurred over the spring.
Palestinians in Gaza who tested positive for COVID-19 during the recent escalation with Israel struggled to care for their health and their families, amid both airstrikes and overwhelmed hospitals.
More details have emerged on how a deal over vaccines broke down between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and what Palestinians want from a new deal.
Hours after Israel announced a deal this morning where Palestinians would receive “between 1 million and 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine presently in stock in Israel,” the agreement was canceled by Palestinian officials. The doses were to come from an Israeli reserve of excess vaccines that would expire if not used “soon,” according to the statement.
Of Palestinians who tested positive in the last week, 84% were in Gaza and 16% in the West Bank.
The Latest: 838,850 Israelis tested positive for COVID-19; 831,387 recoveries; 6,374 deaths329,228 Palestinians tested positive…
As the latest surge in COVID-19 cases continues to strain Palestinian hospitals, in Gaza health officials have reimposed a widespread mandatory quarantine at government-designated centers for returning travelers.