Gaza’s vaccination rate is far below West Bank and half the Israeli rate

Jewish Voice for Peace Health Advisory Council Covid-19 update, March 6, 2022

Over the past month, at first Covid-19 cases in Israel continued to climb with a slight decrease in rate, while the Omicron wave swept Gaza and the West Bank. In the past two weeks the rate of new cases has been decreasing overall, as this wave of the pandemic resolves, though hospitalizations and deaths continue. Israel has been relaxing restrictions on its own population and tourists. The occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has likely been protected due to the young age of its population, although compiling accurate data has been a challenge with the lack of resources.

In the oPt, public indifference to masking and social distancing as well as the rise in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories in Israel and the oPt have been a further impediment to controlling the pandemic. 95% of the people in Gaza who have died from Covid-19 were not vaccinated.

Gaza continued to be at a major disadvantage due to the borderline functioning of the health care system after years of siege and repeated Israeli assaults and exhausted medical personnel. An example of the ripple effect is seen in the challenges of providing dialysis without adequate equipment and supplies, putting thousands of patients at risk for greater disease and death. The US granted $3.75 million to a West Bank and Gaza emergency Covid-19 fund through the World Bank. According to the World Health Organizations, 61.7% of the target population is fully vaccinated in the West Bank, 32.3% fully vaccinated in Gaza, the majority of those vaccinated are females. There are 165 vaccination centers. [The share of Israelis fully vaccinated is 66 percent.]

With the decline in new cases in Israel and the oPt and the global explosion of concern and support over the invasion of Ukraine, there is less interest or coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic. We should keep an eye on BA.2, a more infectious relative of the coronavirus Omicron variant, which seems likely to become the dominant strain in Israel. In the oPt, cases and vaccinations have fallen dramatically, with most new cases in East Jerusalem, which is under resourced by the Israeli government. The death rate overall continues to be low.

Perhaps a more relevant way to analyze the significance of the pandemic as it heads towards becoming an endemic virus is through the number of patients in the ICU and on ventilators, which is low in the oPt.  As international attention fades, it is important to remember that the health care systems remain severely stressed by occupation and siege and that the economies have been negatively affected by this medical crisis. 

Cumulative coronavirus infections in Israel and the Occupied territories.
Gaza weekly Covid cases, cumulative graph

As of March 5, 2022

Israel 3,662,071

West Bank (including EJ) 330,800 (WHO)

East Jerusalem NA

for Jerusalem governorate NA
Gaza  247,148 (MOH),  (WHO) 247,100 WHO

Total oPt 650,768 (Reuters), 651,100 (WHO)

February 6 Occupied territories

An additional grant of US$3.75 million was allocated to the ongoing West Bank and Gaza COVID-19 Emergency Response. The additional financing will continue to support the Palestinian Authority’s response to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring continuity of essential health services and contributing to long-term resilience.
The grant will be contributed from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) Multi-donor Trust Fund administered by the World Bank. It is a flexible mechanism for rapid financing to support countries and territories to improve their capacities to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and mitigate the impact of epidemics on populations.
Relief Web

February 7 Gaza

Gaza is still feeling the effects of Israel’s military offensive in May last year and with a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading through the population, healthcare services are facing immense challenges. (MAP) spoke to Dr Bashar Murad, Emergency Medical Services Director at the Palestine Medical Aid for Palestinians Red Crescent Society in Gaza, who provided his outlook on the bleak situation facing health workers.

Medical Aid for Palestinians

February 9 Occupied territories

Covid-19 infections have been rapidly rising in Palestine, putting local hospitals under intense pressure. Palestinian authorities have ramped up Covid-19 testing and vaccinations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and warned that public indifference to their calls for masking and social distancing was hampering efforts to fight the pandemic. The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry registered more than 64,000 active cases of Covid-19  in what officials described as an unprecedented daily increase due to the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Alaraby

February 11 Occupied territories

The average number of new infections reported daily in the Palestinian territories has reached 5,837, with 872 infections per 100,000 population reported in the last week. There have been 605,347 infections and 5,235 deaths reported in oPt since the beginning of the pandemic. Forty-four percent of oPt residents have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Reuters

February 12 Gaza

According to Dr Abdel Nasser Sobh, the health sector coordinator of the World Health Organisation, the spread of the latest Covid-19 mutation has led to the already overstretched and worn-out healthcare system in Gaza deteriorating even further. Immediate and urgent intervention by the international community as well as humanitarian and medical institutions is required. 

One example is that broken dialysis machines and shortages of medicines and suitable treatment threaten the lives of nearly 600 Palestinian kidney patients in the Gaza Strip.

Kidney patients continue to suffer from all of this, including the shortage of syringes filled with blood-thinning medication, which are also frequently unavailable due to the blockade. The exceptionally high unemployment rate in Gaza makes it very difficult for families to afford costly treatment, such as thrice-weekly dialysis.
If patients are deemed to be beyond the limited resources of Al-Shifa and the rest of the healthcare system in Gaza, they are unlikely to get permission for the Israeli occupation authorities to leave the besieged territory for treatment elsewhere, assuming, of course, that they can afford to go in any case. 
We4Gaza

February 12 Occupied territories

Covid-19 claimed the life of 13 people in Palestine in the last 24 hours as 1871 new cases were recorded, today said the Ministry of Health.
It said seven people died in the West Bank where 544 new cases and 2829 recoveries were recorded, while six people died in the Gaza Strip, 397 new cases recorded and 950 patients recovered.
East Jerusalem recorded 930 new cases and 2200 recoveries.
The Ministry said 304 Covid-19 patients are in hospitals and 115 are in intensive care while 39 are on ventilators.
WAFA

Graphic data from WHO revealing a dramatic rise in active cases by each location.

15,000 in the West Bank

35,203 in Gaza

9,270 in East Jerusalem.

WHO

February 14 Israel

Dozens of cars briefly blocked a main highway in Israel in protest of coronavirus regulations, causing heavy traffic at the entrance to Jerusalem. Based on a similar protest movement in Canada, the convoy of anti-vaccine activists aimed to reach the Knesset, and hung signs on their cars reading “liberty,” “new world order,” “no more restrictions, going back to normal,” “cancel the mask mandate” and “a free nation in our country,” among other slogans.

Haaretz

February 17 Gaza

A personal account of the tragedy of COVID in Gaza by Sarah Algherbawi: I conducted a straw poll of 30 people aged between 25 and 50. In total, 24 out of the 30 said that they did not want to be vaccinated. From speaking with these people, it appeared that many had been influenced by lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines spread on the internet. It is dreadful that lies can be powerful when the benefits of vaccination are clear. The local health ministry states that 95% of the people in Gaza who have died from COVID-19 were not vaccinated.

Electronic Intifada

February 18 Occupied territories

The average number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in the Palestinian territories fell to 3,229 in the last week, representing 37% of the peak on February 3. That case number translates to a rate of 482 cases per 100,000 population in the oPt.  There have been 627,956 infections and 5,357 deaths reported in Palestine since the beginning of the pandemic. At least 3,425,379 doses of vaccine have been administered; if each recipient received two doses, that would represent 36.6% of the population. Reports from the last week tallied an average of 1,721 doses given per day; at that rate, it would take at least 545 days or approximately 18 months to reach an additional 10% of Palestinians.

Reuters

February 25 Occupied territories

The average number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in the Palestinian territories fell to 1,868 in the last week, representing 22% of the peak on February 3. Over the last three weeks, the average number of cases reported per day was reduced by at least 6,800, or 79% of the previous peak. There have been 643,580 infections and 5,486 coronavirus-related deaths reported in oPt since the beginning of the pandemic. No new data were available for vaccinations.

Reuters

February 26, Occupied territories

Ten people have died of coronavirus in Palestine in the last 24 hours as 1,057 new cases were confirmed, most of them in occupied East Jerusalem, today said the Ministry of Health.
Eight of the deaths were in the West Bank where 80 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours and 561 patients have recovered, while two deaths were recorded in East Jerusalem where 890 new cases were recorded and 1080 patients recovered.
The Gaza Strip recorded 87 new cases and 1700 recoveries.
The ministry said 200 people infected with coronavirus are getting treatment in hospitals, 89 are in intensive care and 31 are on ventilators.
WAFA

WHO monitoring of active cases reveals active cases are decreasing, deaths are low, 61.7% of target fully vaccinated in the West Bank,  32.3% fully vaccinated in Gaza, majority of those vaccinated are females. There are 165 vaccination centers.

WHO


March 1 Gaza
The decline of new infections and active cases in the last week is confirmed, indicating the slow down of this 4th rise of the infection.
Vaccinated are 657,151 at this date according to the Ministry of Health.
We 4 Gaza

March 3 Israel

A close and even more infectious relative of the coronavirus Omicron variant seems likely to become the dominant strain in Israel, the government’s COVID Information Center said. Nevertheless, it’s hard to predict the significance of the BA.2 variant’s spread, given that more than 3.6 million Israelis have already had COVID-19 and almost seven million have been vaccinated, including 4.5 million who have already received the booster. The report warned that BA.2 had recently accounted for an increasing share of coronavirus infections in Israel, and this “could slow the decline in infections and eventually perhaps even halt it.” But other sources said there is as yet no sign of this happening.

Haaretz


March 5 Occupied territories

The average number of new coronavirus infections reported daily in the Palestinian territories continued to fall; the tally of at least 1,026 in the last week represented 12% of the peak on February 3. Over the last three weeks, the average number of cases reported per day decreased by at least 4,400, reaching 52% of the previous peak. There have been 650,768 infections and 5,570 coronavirus-related deaths reported in oPt since the beginning of the pandemic. As cases have dropped off, so have vaccinations. In the last week, an average of about 1,721 doses were administered per day. With approximately 36.6% of the population having received two doses, it would take 545 days at the same rate to cover an additional 10% of Palestinians.

Reuters

Seven people died of coronavirus of coronavirus in Palestine in the last 24 hours, 357 new cases recorded, mainly in East Jerusalem. Three people died in the West Bank where 42 new cases were recorded and 200 corona patients have recovered, three people died in the Gaza Strip where 35 new cases and 1000 recoveries were recorded, and one person died in East Jerusalem, 280 new cases confirmed and 500 patients recovered.
The ministry said 106 corona patients are currently in hospitals, 56 are in intensive care and 26 are attached to ventilators.

WAFA

Up-to-date data from the World Health Organization reveals a continued dramatic fall in the rate of new cases.  Because the actual numbers are likely a major undercount, it is more relevant to look at the number of patients in serious condition and on ventilators.

West Bank: ICU 56, on ventilator 26.

Gaza ICU 63, on ventilator 29.

A 0.9% case fatality rate.

WHO

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