Given the infectiousness of Omicron, we can expect a major spike in infection rates, if not rates of severe disease, in the occupied Palestinian territories. Though according to the WHO, 27 Palestinians died of coronavirus in the past week, a downward trend since the most recent rise at the end of December and much lower than earlier peaks.

While the omicron variant of the coronavirus spread to 57 countries this week, Palestinians announced that so far, “Palestine is free of any infection with the new mutation.”