Palestinians approve Russian COVID-19 vaccine

The Palestinian health ministry has approved the main Russian vaccine against COVID-19, known as Sputnik V, for use in Palestinian self-ruled territory, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund said on Monday. The first shipment of the shot is expected to arrive next month, with all deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad. Outside Russia, where authorities say over a million people have now been inoculated with Sputnik V, the vaccine has also been approved for emergency use by local regulators in Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia and Serbia, RDIF has said. RDIF did not disclose how many doses would be shipped to the Palestinian Authority — which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under interim peace deals with Israel — but said the supplies would be facilitated by manufacturing partners in India, China, South Korea and elsewhere. — Reuters