Palestinian official warns of 'difficult, catastrophic' Covid situation in Gaza

Gaza, Jan 29 (IANS) A Palestinian health official has said that the Gaza Strip is passing through a "difficult and catastrophic" situation due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

"The infection curve is rising at an accelerating and unprecedented rate," Fathi Abu Warda, an adviser to the Palestinian minister of health, told reporters in Gaza.

"95 patients are hospitalised with 63 in critical condition, and the occupancy rate of intensive care beds reached 56 per cent," Xinhua news agency quoted Abu Warda as saying.

Abu Warda called on every citizen who suffers from Covid-19 or has any Covid-19 related symptoms should go immediately to the hospital, noting that 48 per cent of the admitted patients in the hospitals in the Gaza Strip "are cases infected with Omicron".

"The current cold weather that hits the Palestinian territories and the lack of power in the Gaza Strip that reaches 12 hours blackout per day amid a shortage of warming means" have helped the spread of the virus, he said.

"So far, 30 per cent only of the Gaza Strip populations have received the vaccinations," Abu Warda said, adding that the health ministry urges people to get jabbed.

On Friday, Palestine reported five fatalities and 5,380 new Covid-19 cases in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry's daily coronavirus report.