Palestine to receive 125,000 coronavirus jabs

RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine will receive 125,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines within days to upscale its vaccination campaign, the Palestinian health minister said on Saturday.

"The quantity includes 100,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine donated by the Chinese government, and 25,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine purchased by Palestine," Mai Al-Kaila said in a statement.

The minister did not give a specific date when the vaccines will arrive but said they will be dispatched “within days”.

Palestine began its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Feb. 2 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine prioritizing medical workers.

On March 21, Palestinian medical teams began vaccinating the elderly and people with prior medical conditions against the virus after receiving 62,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

Palestine has recorded 261,901 coronavirus cases, including 2,787 deaths since the first case was detected last year.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara