Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila has warned of a fourth wave of the coronavirus across the occupied Palestinian territories. Al-Kaila’s warning comes as the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths rise across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
During a weekly cabinet meeting, the minister called for the public to follow Covid-19 safety measures to limit the spread of the virus.
“I invite you, time and time again, to respect social distancing and to wear face masks,” he said, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Palestine confirms 2,762 new coronavirus cases, 11 deathshttps://t.co/JM41d4hYxG pic.twitter.com/VxzRvglYxi
— Wafa News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) September 7, 2021
Al-Kaila announced that 2,742 new infections and 17 deaths had been recorded across the Palestinian territories in the 24 hours prior to the meeting.
The minister stated 1,406 new cases and seven deaths were recorded in the West Bank over the same time period. Al-Kaila also said 1,336 new cases and 10 deaths were recorded in the Gaza Strip.
Data released by the Palestinian health ministry last week revealed that only 655,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and 220,000 in the Gaza Strip have had at least one vaccine dose.
For the first time in nearly three months, the Ministry of Health in #Gaza records nine deaths of Covid-19 and 1,018 new positive cases.#coronavirus #Palestine pic.twitter.com/aLq0u8LIDc
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 4, 2021
Palestinian authorities faced delays in being able to secure vaccines, in part due to Israeli policies.
However, they were recently able to secure 2.8 million vaccine doses through a combination of the COVAX program and vaccine donations from China and the UAE, according to the World Health Organisation.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
