Admin I Thursday, November 07, 2024
GAZA, Palestine – The Israeli Defence Forces, IDF and Israeli humanitarian agency, Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) have issued a joint statement announcing that it has completed the second phase of polio vaccination in Gaza, after administering 1, 100,000 doses.
“With 1,100,000 vaccines administered – COGAT and international aid organizations have completed the second polio vaccination campaign in Gaza”, the joint statement said, adding that the vaccination rate among children is over 90%.
“In accordance with the directive given by Israel’s Minister of Defense and the political echelon, the IDF via COGAT, in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, has completed the second polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza”, the statement noted, adding that COGAT facilitated tactical humanitarian pauses in order to facilitate the distribution of the vaccines, which took place in two phases.
“Breakdown of the campaign: total of 1,107,541 vaccinations for children across Gaza; 211,170 in northern Gaza; 379,361 vaccinations in central Gaza; and 517,070 vaccinations in southern Gaza.
“To ensure the success of the campaign, COGAT and aid organizations facilitated the entry of polio specialists to Gaza, as well as the delivery of medical and logistical equipment, refrigeration equipment to store and transport the vaccines, and essential vitamins”, the statement said, adding that in recent months, the IDF via COGAT has facilitated the delivery of over 355,000 vials of vaccines against the polio virus – a quantity that is sufficient to vaccinate over 4,800,000 civilians.
“In addition, 619,332 vials of vaccines against a series of diseases and epidemics have been delivered – a quantity that is sufficient to vaccinate over 5,600,000 civilians. The State of Israel, through COGAT, will continue to act in accordance with international law, addressing the medical situation of civilians in Gaza”, the statement said.
