Ramallah, May 4 (IANS): Palestine has extended its coronavirus-related state of emergency to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variants.

In a decree issued on Monday by President Mahmoud Abbas, the state of emergency was extended effective immediately so as to give the government enough power to combat the spread of the virus, reports Xinhua news agency.

The state of emergency was first issued in March last year after the discovery of the first cases of coronavirus in the Palestinian territories and has been extended or re-declared every month since then.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Mai al-Kaila told a news briefing that her Ministry has taken all possible measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variants first detected in Brazil and India.

"The Ministry warns of the arrival of the new deadly variants of coronavirus," al-Kaila said, calling on the Palestinians to abide by the necessary precautionary measures.

The Minister also noted there has been a significant drop in the number of Covid fatalities.

"We expect an improvement in the health situation in Palestine after around 12 per cent of the populations have already been vaccinated," al-Kaila said.

She added that Palestine is expected to receive a new batch of 500,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine soon.

On Monday, the Health Ministry said that it recorded 565 new infections, 11 deaths and 779 recoveries in the past 24 hours.

Palestine's overall caseload and death toll currently stand at 298,203 and 3,283, respectively.

It also said over 258,065 people have received their first jabs of the Covid vaccine in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, of whom 186,040 were administered the second doses.