Since February, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have been experiencing their largest corona wave to date. More than 24,000 people have now been admitted for treatment, and in recent days 20 people have died, shows Worldometer.
– The pressure on the hospital exceeds what we have in terms of capacity. There is no space, beds or staff to assist the most critical patients. People are dying, says Juan Pablo Nahuel Sanchez, who works in the intensive care unit of the Jura Hospital in Hebron, according to Doctors Without Borders.
Younger people get sick
Hebron is one of the hardest hit areas in the West Bank now. At Jura Hospital, there are now 71 patients admitted, of which 27 are in the intensive care unit. The proportion of young people affected has also increased.
– One in three patients at our hospital is between 25 and 64 years old, while before it was most over 64 years old, according to Sanchez.
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Just as in Norway, it is the British mutant variant that is most widespread.
– We are now in the third wave of infection. The number of sick and dead is increasing, and all hospitals and beds are full. We are now very concerned, and ask that the vaccination rate be increased rapidly. If not, this could be really bad, says Ely Sok, chief of Médecins Sans Frontières in the Palestinian territories.
He adds:
– The British mutant is spreading faster, and more and more young people are affected. Therefore, it is critical that only two percent of Palestinians are vaccinated.
Believes Israel should help
Sok says that many now hope that Israel will now help the Palestinians.
– Israel has now vaccinated over 60 percent of the population. They have more than enough vaccines, are occupying forces, and those who control the borders of the Palestinian territories. Therefore, we believe they should be able to contribute with vaccines. If they do not want to give them, they can sell them so that the vaccination process among the Palestinians goes faster, says Sok.
Two percent of Palestinians, around 120,000 people, have so far received one or two vaccines.
– As in the rest of the world, the number of vaccines is the bottleneck, while Israel has vaccines in stock. Israel says they want herd immunity, but they will not get it until the whole area here is vaccinated, ie both Israelis and Palestinians, says Sok.
He points out that some Palestinians work in Israel – and that Israeli settlers live side by side with Palestinians in the West Bank.
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– The responsibility of the Palestinians
Lior Haiat is a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He points out that vaccination is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority.
– We agreed on this in the 90s. But Israel is helping Palestinian authorities with a covid-19 crisis, and will continue to do so. We have vaccinated over 100,000 Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria (Israel’s name in the West Bank) – and we have given them training in how to do the vaccination work in Israel, says Haiat and continues:
– We do not sell washing machines to anyone, but do everything we can to ensure that the vaccines reach the Palestinian territories. Our goal is for the Palestinians to be vaccinated, but the responsibility here lies with the Palestinian authorities, he says.
He points out that Israel only has vaccines for Israeli citizens.
– We do not yet know if there will be a need for a second wave of vaccinations. This is something that is being researched now, he says.
Critical to the vaccine
Another challenge when it comes to vaccinating the Palestinian population is great vaccine skepticism, according to Sok.
– In Gaza, there are a good number who believe that covid-19 is something that does not exist. In addition, there is a great fear that the vaccines are dangerous. There are many conspiracy theories out there, he says.
MSF and other organizations are working to counter vaccination skepticism.
In addition, according to Sok, many Palestinians do not follow the rules for wearing face masks – and keeping their distance.
– It is also not easy to become people in the refugee camps in Gaza to keep their distance. Simply because it is not possible, he says.
The Palestinian Authority has this week introduced a number of new restrictions to prevent the infection from spreading further. A curfew has been introduced from 20 in the evening until 06 in the morning. Schools, kindergartens, gyms and universities are closed.
– The Palestinian Ministry of Health takes the situation very seriously. Now only pharmacies and grocery stores are allowed to stay open, says Sok.
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