A record-breaking vaccination campaign is underway in Israel, with a tenth of the population already receiving the first dose. This is not the case, however, for the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza.
The Palestinian Authority has not asked the Israelis for help. If the vaccination of the Israeli population continues at this rate, it could reach the target by March 2021. However, if the virus continues to circulate among Palestinians in the common areas, it could put herd immunity in the country at risk.
The vaccines - writes the 'Guardian' - are distributed to settlers in the West Bank, but not to the 2,7 million Palestinians who live around them and who may have to wait a long time. Two weeks into the immunization campaign, Israel is vaccinating 150 people a day, for a total of one million first doses inoculated in a population of 9 million, the highest percentage in the world.
The premier Benjamin Netanyahu he told the Israelis that the country could be the first to emerge from the pandemic emergency, while the Palestinian Authority is trying to get the necessary doses.
The first vials, according to the Palestinian Director General of Health, Ali Abed Rabbo, will probably arrive in February through the Covax partnership, wanted by the WHO to help countries in greatest difficulty and which has committed to vaccinate 20% of Palestinians .