Palestinians are facing a winter coronavirus surge driven by the Omicron variant, placing stress on the medical system even though vaccines are widely available.
The Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry reported over 70,000 active cases in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip today, more than twice the number at the height of previous surges.
The real figure is likely much higher, as Omicron tends to cause milder symptoms, especially in vaccinated patients, and many people are testing at home.
At least 268 people have been hospitalized in the parts of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority, including 80 in intensive care and 24 people on ventilators. Gaza currently has at least 63 serious cases.
The PA has reported at least 4,859 deaths in the West Bank and Gaza since the start of the pandemic.
A health care worker takes a nasal swab sample from a Palestinian woman in a COVID-19 testing center, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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