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While Israel has already become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip have yet to secure their first supplies.
The Palestinian Authority has accused Israel of shirking a duty to ensure vaccines are available in occupied territory.
It also said on Sunday it expects to receive its first COVID-19 vaccine doses in March under a deal with drugmaker AstraZeneca.
While Israel has already become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip have yet to secure their first supplies.
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Palestinians wearing face mask attend a prayer at a mosque in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on January 10, 2021. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90
Palestinian health officials announced over the weekend that they had signed a deal with the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical firm and were anticipating the arrival of its first major vaccine shipment by the end of February.
“We’ve received a formal letter from the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company that by February 15th, the vaccines will arrive in Palestine…between the middle and the end of the month,” Palestinian Authority Health Ministry spokesperson Kamal al-Shakhra told Voice of Palestine Radio on Saturday.
The PA's public health chief announces deal with AstraZeneca, while the Foreign Ministry says Israel is 'committing racial discrimination against the Palestinian people, depriving them of their right to health care'