Palestinian Territories See Record Spike in Coronavirus Cases

The Palestinian territories are experiencing a record-setting spike in COVID-19 cases, with the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker reporting 19,724 new cases on Monday and 10,444 new cases on Tuesday. The seven-day rolling average of new cases per day in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was 6,652 cases on Tuesday. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports a total of 535,160 cases and 5,104 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. About 29% of the population is considered fully vaccinated. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said Tuesday that 3,977 recoveries had been recorded in the previous 24 hours in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and that 82 patients were being treated in intensive care units, including 25 on ventilators. She called on the population to immediately get vaccinated and abide by measures to minimize the spread of the virus, including social distancing and wearing masks.