Coronavirus vaccine (stock)
Coronavirus vaccine (stock)צילום: istock

One-and-a-half million doses of a coronavirus vaccine purchased by Israel could end up going to the Palestinian Authority, due to bureaucratic restrictions on the vaccine.

According to a report by Kan, Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem purchased 1.5 million doses of the Sputnik 5 vaccine, a coronavirus vaccine developed by Russia.

Hadassah, which paid an advance on the vaccine, has applied for permission from the Israeli Health Ministry to use the vaccine.

But the Health Ministry has thus far refused to approve the Sputnik 5 vaccine, leading Hadassah Hospital to seek alternative uses for the doses of the vaccine which were already ordered.

Hospital officials are reportedly in talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell off the vaccine, which the UAE would in turn donate to the Palestinian Authority.

Israel also has secured deals for the acquisition of other foreign-made coronavirus vaccines, including Moderna and Pfizer, and is developing a domestic coronavirus vaccine, which is estimated to be available by the summer of 2021.