The Ministry of Health began today vaccinating its population against coronavirus, starting with health and medical teams working in intensive care units in centers and hospitals for treating virus patients as the first batch of the vaccines started to arrive in Palestine.
The Minister of Health, Mai Alkaila, launched the campaign when she received the vaccine at the corona Hugo Chaves Hospital in the town of Turmus Ayya, near Ramallah, as the medical staff working in the intensive care units there was also vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health announced that it had received 2000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, stressing that the priority for receiving coronavirus vaccinations is for health sector crews because they are the ones most in contact with corona patients, and the most at risk of getting infected with the disease.
The ministry said that the second group that will receive the vaccine is the elderly who are over 60 years old and those with chronic diseases because they are the most vulnerable to the disease and the more likely to develop serious symptoms.
The Minister of Health said at the start of the vaccination that 5000 doses of the Russian Sputnik vaccine will arrive in Palestine within days, in addition to 37,000 doses that will be provided from the COVAX initiative launched by the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance.
She added that the government purchased AstraZeneca vaccines that will also arrive in Palestine during the coming period, explaining that the vaccination began as planned and according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, while part of the vaccines will be sent to the Gaza Strip tomorrow.
Alkaila added that this campaign will continue as more vaccines arrive until over three million people in Palestine are vaccinated, which will take few months.
She said that 730 members of the medical and health staff are ready to proceed with the vaccination around the country.
