Vaccine drive launched in Gaza Strip schools

Palestinian health authorities are launching a vaccination drive for students in the Gaza Strip ages 16-18 as the territory contends with a third wave of coronavirus infections.Health officials began giving the Pfizer vaccine in Gaza Strip schools on Wednesday and aim to inoculate more than 100,000 students in the coming weeks.

Palestinian health authorities are launching a vaccination drive for students in the Gaza Strip ages 16-18 as the territory contends with the third wave of coronavirus infections.

Health officials began giving the Pfizer vaccine in Gaza Strip schools on Wednesday and aim to inoculate more than 100,000 students in the coming weeks. Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank began a similar drive on Tuesday. The Gaza Health Ministry reported six deaths and more than 1,400 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest number since a new wave of infections began in August. Less than half the population of the West Bank has received a first vaccine dose, and around 15% of Gaza's population has gotten the first shot. The Palestinians received 500,000 doses of Moderna vaccine last week that were donated by the United States through COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing initiative distributing vaccines to poorer nations. The Palestinian Authority and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group have worked to secure their own vaccine supplies, partly through COVAX and donations from other countries. But the territories remain far behind neighboring Israel, which has a world-leading vaccination drive.