Palestine announces cancellation of new crown vaccine exchange agreement with Israel
Xinhua News Agency, Ramallah, June 18 (Reporter Xiong Sihao) The Palestinian government announced on the evening of the 18th that it would cancel a new crown vaccine exchange agreement with Israel because the vaccine handed over by Israel "does not meet technical indicators."
The spokesperson of the Palestinian government, Ibrahim Mulham, said at a press conference held that night that the medical and technical team of the Palestinian Ministry of Health tested the first batch of approximately 90,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine handed over to Palestine by Israel that night. It was found that these vaccines did not meet the technical indicators stipulated in the exchange agreement, so Pakistani Prime Minister Ashtiye instructed the Ministry of Health to cancel the agreement.
Mulham said that the Pakistani government refused to accept the new crown vaccine that was about to expire, and the first batch of vaccines had all been returned to Israel.
According to the direct procurement agreement reached with Pfizer, the Pakistani government is waiting for vaccines directly supplied by Pfizer in batches.
Pakistani Health Minister Mai Kella said that when Pakistan reached a new crown vaccine exchange agreement with Israel on the same day, it clearly requested Israel that the relevant vaccines should meet the various technical indicators and conditions involved in effectiveness and safety.
The Ministry of Health of Pakistan will urge Pfizer to obtain the ordered new crown vaccine as soon as possible.
The Israeli Government Information Office issued a statement earlier on the 18th that Israel reached a vaccine exchange agreement with Palestine on the same day. The vaccines Israel will hand over to Palestine are Pfizer’s new coronavirus vaccine stocks in Israel, and these vaccines are about to expire.
In exchange, Israel will receive the vaccine that Pfizer originally planned to deliver to Pakistan in September or October, the same quantity as the vaccine handed over by Israel to Pakistan.
Since the start of COVID-19 vaccination at the end of last year, about 55% of Israel's approximately 9.2 million people have completed two doses of vaccination.
According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, among the population of about 5 million in Palestine, 270,000 people have now completed two doses of vaccination.