The Health Ministry announced Thursday that it will provide the Moderna coronavirus vaccine to Palestinian Authority residents who work in Israel, Walla News reported.
The ministry's decision comes about two months after the arrival of a shipment of about 120,000 Moderna vaccines to Israel.
The Moderna vaccines are similar to the Pfizer vaccines which Israel has primarily used in its mass vaccination campaign, but the Health Ministry has largely refrained from using the former due to possible confusion over the differing instructions for their use. As a result, the decision was made to reserve the Moderna vaccine for specific groups.
At different points, the possibility of providing the Moderna vaccine to IDF soldiers and prisoners was considered, but this was rejected due to supply considerations.
The decision was finally made to use the vaccines to inoculate the Palestinian Arabs who cross into Israel on a daily basis. The Health Ministry has yet to decide which body will administer the Moderna vaccine.