By Staff, Agencies Palestine on Monday extended its coronavirus-related state of emergency to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variants across the country. In a decree issued by President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, the state of emergency was extended effective immediately so as to give the government enough power to combat the spread of the virus.

The state of emergency was first issued in March last year after the discovery of the first cases of coronavirus in Palestine and has been extended or re-declared every month since then.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority Health Minister Mai al-Kaila told a news briefing that the ministry has taken all possible measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variants first detected in Brazil and India.

"The ministry warns of the arrival of the new deadly variants of coronavirus," al-Kaila said, calling on the Palestinians to abide by the necessary precautionary measures.

She also noted there has been a significant drop in the number of fatalities from the COVID-19 in Palestine.

"We expect an improvement in the health situation in Palestine after around 12 percent of the populations have already been vaccinated," al-Kaila said.

She added that Palestine is expected to receive a new batch of 500,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine soon.

On Monday, the Health Ministry said in a statement that it recorded 565 new COVID-19 infections, 11 deaths and 779 recoveries during the past 24 hours.

It also said over 258,065 people have received their first jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, of whom 186,040 received the second doses