Palestinian workers will need vaccine proof to cross checkpoints

Palestinian medics and activists participate in a the “Awareness Bus” initiative to educate people about the coronavirus vaccine in poor areas in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on September 2, 2021. (Photo: Ashraf Amra/APA Images)

The Latest:

  • 450,510 Palestinians tested positive for COVID-19; 434,882 recoveries; 4,611 deaths
  • Of those who tested positive, 238,684 live in the West Bank and 181,470 live in the Gaza Strip
  • 1,320,962 Israelis tested positive for COVID-19; 1,298,172 recoveries; 8,036 deaths

Beginning in November, Palestinians will need to present proof of vaccine status, confirming they have received three doses in order to cross checkpoints to work in Israel and West Bank settlements. 

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Last week we reported up to 120,000 Palestinians who were vaccinated by Israel with the Moderna vaccine and hold permits to enter Israel for work, were due to lose their Green Pass status because of new health regulations. This month Israel required vaccinated persons to have been administered a third dose in order to keep their passes. The matter became complex because Israelis are vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, a company that already brought a booster dose to market. Yet Palestinians received the Moderna vaccine, for which there is no approved third dose. 

As of Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced those workers will be given a third dose with the Pfizer vaccine:

“Starting today, Thursday, the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Civil Affairs Authority and the Ministry of Labor, will vaccinate workers who are employed inside the Green Line with a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine, whether from Pfizer or Moderna, for those who took the second dose more than 6 months ago.”

In total, 2,438,046 Palestinians have received at least one dose, with 1,762,226 in the West Bank, and 675,820 in the Gaza Strip, according to data released from the Ministry of Health this week. This has coincided with a reduction of new cases. The drop in daily new infections is now half of number from the start of this month. 

Reuters analyzed the rate of vaccination and reported yesterday: “it will take a further 54 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.”

The big picture: The number of Palestinians who have been given the coronavirus vaccine has raised expeditiously in recent weeks, with today more than 60% of those who are eligible receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of today, 5,818 Palestinians in the West Bank and 7,479 in the Gaza Strip have received the third dose. 

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