PM: Jordan Secures 3 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine

Arab World

January 3rd, 7:06pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Jordanian police officers stand guard as a man waits to get bread in a closed-down part of Al-Nasr area, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Amman, Jordan, April 15, 2020. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

Jordan has struck a deal with Pfizer and partner BioNTech to buy 1 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine and another 2 million doses from the World Health Organization's COVAX program, with talks underway for more, Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh said on Sunday. In his address to parliament, Khasawneh did not say when Jordan would receive the vaccines, but health ministry officials have said they expect the first supplies from the US company to arrive in February. The premier told lawmakers that Jordan's health care system had tripled in capacity since October with new beds and wards designated for coronavirus patients. Health Minister Nathir Obeidat said last week the government hoped to rollout a free inoculation program for more than 20 percent of the 10 million population. The country has seen a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases since a second wave peaked last November with around 60 deaths per day. Jordan reported 1,540 new daily cases on Sunday, with 26 deaths. Since the outbreak first surfaced in Jordan in early March and until Jan. 3, 298,208 people had been infected, and 3,903 people have died.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2719241/pm-jordan-secures-3-million-doses-covid-19-vaccine