Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced in statements that 139 Palestinian citizens were infected with the British COVID-19 mutation.

On Jan. 31, the ministry announced the registration of 13 new cases of the British COVID-19 mutation in several areas of the West Bank, bringing the number of mutated infections to 41. With the 139 new cases, the total number of detected mutated COVID-19 cases in Palestine amounts to 180.

Also Read: Palestine records 13 new COVID-19 mutations

The ministry warned against non-compliance with health procedures in light of the full occupancy of hospitals and intensive care departments in Palestine.

In turn, the Director General of Supportive Medical Services at the ministry, Osama Al-Najjar, said that the spread of this surge is rapid and may affect entire families, including children.

He added that the Ministry of Health is following up on all the new strains, including the British, South African and Brazilian variants, calling on citizens to adhere to the health protocols set by the ministry and to practice social distancing.

Najjar pointed out that the results of scientific studies confirm the effectiveness of the available COVID-19 vaccines against the mutated strains.