Palestinians report 1,390 new virus cases, record 16 deaths in 24 hours

Palestinians saw 1,390 new coronavirus cases and a record 16 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry.

Thirty Palestinians have died from coronavirus over the past two days. Approximately 636 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have died from coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic.

The Gaza Strip saw 684 new cases in the past day, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reports. Around 24 percent of coronavirus cases in the Strip came back positive; positivity rates have ranged between 20 to 30 percent over the past week, indicating that many cases are going undetected.

PA-administered areas of the West Bank also continue to see a sharp rise in cases, with 706 new infections identified over the past day.

— Aaron Boxerman