(JNS) The delivery of a U.S. donation of 500,000 vaccines to counter the ongoing coronavirus arrived in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, August 24. The Moderna vaccine doses were made in partnership with the global COVAX vaccine-sharing program. Palestinians say they now have 2.5 million doses; the West Bank will receive 300,000 of the vaccines and Gaza the rest. Palestinian officials say they also expect to receive 1 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in September. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that for now, unvaccinated public-sector employees would be put on unpaid leave.

Main Photo: Palestinian health workers in the West Bank city of Bethlehem are vaccinated against COVID-19 after a delivery of vaccine doses arrives from Israel on Feb. 3, 2021. Flash90 / Wisam Hashlamoun