Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 48

occupied Palestinian territory, issued 15 October 2020
Information for period: 5 March – 15 October 2020

Highlights

• Planning is progressing to prepare the health system to secure COVID-19 vaccine – once available – for most vulnerable target groups in Palestine
• Government of Germany provides $1 million to support the COVID-19 response

WHO is continuing to work with partners to support Ministry of Health’s (MoH) efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

 Coordination, planning and monitoring ​​

• WHO, UNICEF and other key partners support the MoH in development of the COVID-19 vaccine deployment plan to ensure a smooth introduction of COVID-19 vaccine once it would become available
• Palestine is among the 92 countries to receive funding for procurement of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility supported by GAVI and other partners.
• The funding will cover up to 20% of vaccine needs, prioritising vulnerable groups: health and social workers, people above 65 years and those under 65 with underlying conditions
• In the Gaza Strip a curfew is still in place in all governorates from 20:00 to 07:00
• Around 35,000 Tawjihi (senior high) students returned to school under strict precautionary measures, on 10 October, as an initial step to resuming school attendance, in the Gaza Strip
• The lockdown in Israel, affecting East Jerusalem, has been extended until October 18
• WHO continues to support the coordination for import and delivery of essential equipment:
  • This month, WHO has delivered 20 COVID-19 extraction kits (for 20,000 tests) and 22,000 swabs to Gaza
  • Six defibrillators were delivered to MoH in Ramallah on 15 October
  • 10 oxygen concentrators were delivered to local health authorities in the Gaza Strip on 15 October (see image).

• The WHO risk assessment remains very high as the number of people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 continues to increase
•  From 1-15 October, the total number of COVID-19 cases rose by 6,900 cases (on average 460 cases per day). Four hundred and seventy-one have died, with an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.82%.

• A total of 463,427 laboratory samples have been tested for COVID-19.

• 15,200 Palestinians are in quarantine (home or facility-based) to prevent further spread of the disease
• In the Gaza Strip, 147 people are in one of three quarantine facilities which include health facilities, hotels and other designated buildings
• WHO is supporting the MoH to train 60 junior doctors and 200 nurses on intensive care treatment protocols to enhance capacity to manage critical patients. Lectures and practical training will be conducted over a three-week period and continue with mentoring in hospital settings. This training was supported by the Government of Canada
• WHO continues to coordinate and support the delivery of vital medical equipment for the COVID-19 response across Gaza and the West Bank (see images for details).

Fear, anxiety and social isolation associated with COVID-19 has placed Palestinians under immense and unprecedented pressure, putting their physical, mental and social well-being at risk. This, in turn, has increased the pressure on those with mental health disorders, such as psychosis and depression, and increased demand on psychotropic drugs.  

In response, WHO with the support of the Government of Canada, has delivered essential psychotropic drugs to treat 3,000 people in the Gaza Strip suffering from mental, neurological and substance use disorders for six months. The delivery of these drugs to local health authorities in the Gaza Strip is part of WHOs support to develop mental health services and strengthen the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Gaza.