Coronavirus infections are very low in the community, but officials fear lack of immunization could lead to a serious outbreak, especially among Bedouins
Israeli Arabs wonder how COVID-19 will shape Ramadan 2021 al-monitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from al-monitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine in East Jerusalem on February 3, 2021. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
With coronavirus cases rising and conspiracy theories chilling vaccine turnout, Arab Israeli health officials say they are facing an uphill battle to crush the infection curve before the advent of the Ramadan holiday in about a month.
“Just a month ago, our situation was far better than that of the Jewish community and the ultra-Orthodox. But the situation for us today is now worse than both of them,” said Dr. Bishara Bisharat, who works in the Health Ministry’s coronavirus response unit.
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An Israeli teacher receives a COVID-19 vaccine, at Shamir Medical Center in Be er Ya akov, on December 30, 2020. (Avi Dishi/Flash90)
Low coronavirus vaccination rates among Arab Israelis have raised concerns that Israel’s conservative minority may be immune to calls to get shots against the novel coronavirus but experts say it’s more complicated than that.
While a few vaccination centers have been erected in Arab towns and cities, many facilities reported that most of those waiting in line were Jews. In Umm al-Fahm, Shfaram, and Nazareth three major Arab Israeli cities more than 75 percent of those vaccinated over the past few days have been Jews.