PALESTINIANS APPROVE RUSSIAN VACCINE FOR USE IN SELF-RULE AREAS

Mon 11 January 2021:

Palestinian Authority has approved the main Russian vaccine against Covid-19, known as Sputnik V, for use in Palestinian self-ruled territory, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund has said.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila confirmed that her ministry had granted “emergency approval” for the Russian vaccine to be administered in areas under limited Palestinian self-rule.

Asked if Israel would permit the Palestinians to import the vaccines, Deputy Israeli Health Minister Yoav Kisch told Army Radio: “Anything to do with Palestinian Authority public health is taken care of by them, (so) I think they have that freedom.”

The first shipment of the Russian shot is expected to arrive next month, with all deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad.

While Israel has become the world leader in vaccinations per capita, Palestinians in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip – where Hamas Islamists rule – have yet to obtain their first supplies.

Outside Russia, where authorities say over a million people have now been inoculated with Sputnik V, the vaccine has also been approved for emergency use by local regulators in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, and Serbia, RDIF has said.