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.

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.

While we are continuing to see the overall number of new coronavirus cases decline in the West Bank, the highly contagious delta variant is spreading throughout the Palestinian territory, causing health officials to pull the alarm and enact a four-day closure over the entire city of Jenin.

The delta variant has reached the West Bank. While previous mutations of the coronavirus have caused waves of concern, none have been this contagious or dangerous in terms of delaying national reopening plans.

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.

Of Palestinians who tested positive in the last week, 84% were in Gaza and 16% in the West Bank.