RAMALLAH, Sunday, March 21, 2021 (WAFA) – Palestine kick-started today its mass vaccination rollout campaign which targets in the first place medical staff at government and private hospitals, patients of kidney and cancer, and the elderly.

Speaking at a press conference held at Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced launch of the campaign, saying rollout will be conducted in a fair, transparent and priority-based manner.

He said Palestine was expecting a new shipment of 100,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from China, 50,000 from Russia, 129,000 from P-Pharm and AstraZeneca.

On the controversy over the AstraZeneca vaccine, Shtayyeh said: "We are committed to what the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency say, that the vaccine is safe and effective, and that the world will be using it."

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Mai Alkaila said that the launch of the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 was a crossing point into a promising stage, which requires combined efforts to reach the required social immunity.

She said the Ministry has completed all the technical and logistical arrangements related to the launch of the vaccination campaign.

Alkaila stressed the need to continue to adhere to the safety measures which include wearing masks, social distancing and maintaining personal hygiene even after receiving the vaccine, in order to be able to overcome this pandemic together.

M.N