- Title: Some Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem Palestinians wary of coronavirus vaccine
- Date: 7th January 2021
- Summary: UMM AL-FAHM, ISRAEL (JANUARY 3, 2021) (REUTERS) MAN TAKING SELFIE WHILE NURSE GIVES HIM COVID-19 VACCINE INJECTION AT CLALIT MEDICAL CENTRE VACCINE VIALS NURSE GIVING VACCINE INJECTION TO ELDERLY WOMAN PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE FOR VACCINATION ELDERLY MAN WAITING TO BE VACCINATED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF CLALIT MEDICAL CENTRE IN UMM AL-FAHM, FARIDA MAHAJNEH, SAYING: "The center was opened nine, ten days ago, in the beginning the turnout was somehow low, but today the turnout is increasing day after day among the Arab residents, I am talking about Umm Al-Fahm area and it's surroundings. People should know that everyone should be vaccinated and it is safe." PEOPLE STANDING IN LINE TO REGISTER FOR VACCINATION AT CLALIT MEDICAL CENTER WOMEN BEING VACCINATED PEOPLE AT VACCINATION CENTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ARAB RESIDENT OF ISRAEL, ABDELKAREEM HAJ SAEED, SAYING: "We can say it is so so, some bodies can't take this (vaccine) and other bodies can take this (vaccine). I was afraid but now I encourage everyone to come and get the vaccine because the situation is not promising (number of infected people is increasing) in our Arab areas, therefore I advise everyone, the young and elderly people, to come get the vaccine." JERUSALEM (JANUARY 7, 2021) (REUTERS) DAMASCUS GATE VARIOUS OF ISRAELI POLICE CHECKING PALESTINIANS AT OLD CITY GATE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, MAROUF ALYINO, SAYING: "I will not be vaccinated because I don't know what is in there. I don't know what the positive or negative side affects are. No one explained to me anything about it. There are no posters in the streets to tell us about the side affects. I don't know if I will suffer from side affects for a day or two or if I will feel pain. Everyone is looking at Facebook and social media sites, where we hear about someone dying (after the vaccine), another one who got an allergy, or they got the virus itself. We, as Jerusalemites and Arabs, will stay away form the vaccine and I will refuse to be vaccinated." ISRAELI POLICE CHECKING PALESTINIANS AT GATE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT DAMASCUS GATE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, MOHAMMAD ZITAWI, SAYING: "If the getting the vaccine is optional, I may not get vaccinated, because the disease is not dangerous, so maybe it is not necessary to get vaccinated. Not everything is clear about the vaccine, they should test it on people for four five years to get clear results about the side affects. Until now, things are not at all clear." JERUSALEM (JANUARY 6, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT VACCINATION CENTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, FATHALLAH AT TOTANJI, SAYING: "I am not an expert in medicine but if this vaccine was no good, no one would invest millions of dollars to protect us from this nasty disease." TOTANJI BEING VACCINATED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT OF JERUSALEM, AHMED BARAKAT, SAYING: "Anything that gives hope, and millions of people in the world are taking it, the Pfizer vaccine, we will take it and if there is a problem in it, it will end up being for everyone." BARAKAT BEING VACCINATED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF THE EAST JERUSALEM CORONAVIRUS COMMITTEE OPERATING UNDER THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALI AL-JIBRINI, SAYING: "The truth is that the situation here in Jerusalem is worrying and the real indicator for the state of the pandemic lies in the numbers. The number of deaths has reached about 17 over the last four days and the number of infected people is increasing." VARIOUS OF SIGNS LEADING TO VACCINATION CENTER READING (Arabic, Hebrew): 'LET US GET VACCINATED AND DECLARE VICTORY OVER COVID-19' (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF THE EAST JERUSALEM CORONAVIRUS COMMITTEE OPERATING UNDER THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF HEALTH, ALI AL-JIBRINI, SAYING: "The vaccine is good news and there is the hope. We see that we are going from one maze to the next, from one lockdown to another. The sign of hope lies in this vaccine, to protect the elderly and go back to our normal life. We hope the turnout will be higher than it is (currently)."
- Embargoed: 21st January 2021 12:56
- Keywords: Coronavirus Health Israel Palestinians Vaccine
- Location: UMM AL-FAHM AND TIRA, ISRAEL / JERUSALEM
- City: UMM AL-FAHM AND TIRA, ISRAEL / JERUSALEM
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Health/Medicine,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001DU7G5SL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:As Israel leads the world in the rate of coronavirus vaccination, some of its Arab citizens and Palestinians in annexed East Jerusalem are regarding the shot with suspicion.
In what officials see as a result of misinformation about possible side-effects or supposed malicious properties, turnout for vaccines has been low among Arabs, who make up 21% of Israel's population, and Jerusalem Palestinians.
"I will not be vaccinated because I don't know what is in there. No one explained it to me," said Marouf Alyino of East Jerusalem.
Israel launched its vaccination drive on Dec. 19. The Health Ministry said on Thursday that 17.5% of the population - and 70% of citizens aged 60 or older - had received their first shots.
The lag in some Arab communities has prompted citizens from the Jewish majority to go to clinics there in search of shorter queues. On occasion, leftover vaccines have been given to walk-ins who are not within the high-risk cohort getting priority.
One vaccination center, in the northern town of Umm al-Fahm, reported rising attendance by Arab recipients as the vaccination campaign spreads with little news of mishaps.
Farida Mahajneh, the center's director, said turnout was "meager" when it began operating in late December but that it is now increasing day after day among Arab residents.
Ahmed Saif, the Health Ministry's coronavirus coordinator for the Arab community, said the sector had only four vaccination centers in the first week of Israel's roll-out.
"Now there are 40," he told Reuters on Monday.
(Production: Ammar Awad, Sinan Abu Mayzer, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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