Jordan secures 3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, as kingdom battles to control the virus

Jordan secures 3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, as kingdom battles to control the virus
Jordan saw a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases late last year.
2 min read
Jordan saw a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases late last year [Getty]
Jordan has secured 3 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, the prime minister said on Monday, as authorities attempt to control the virus which has swept through the kingdom.

Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh told parliament that Jordan had struck a deal with Pfizer and partner BioNTech to purchase 1 million doses of the vaccine, which requires two shots per person, according to Reuters.

Jordan will obtain another 2 million doses via the World Health Organisation's COVAX programme, a scheme aimed at assisting lower and middle income countries to vaccinate their populations.

Al-Khasawneh did not say when the vaccines will arrive but the health ministry has previously said it expects some deliveries in February.

Jordan hopes to vaccinate 20 percent of its 10 million population, according to Reuters.

Jordan saw a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases across the kingdom late last year, although the numbers have since steadied.

At the peak of the crisis in November, the kingdom saw 60 deaths per day from the virus. This number has dropped with 26 fatalities reported on Sunday, although there are still hundreds of new cases each day.

Jordan ordered a nationwide lockdown early last year to control the virus, which saw the numbers remain low but at huge cost to the kingdom's fragile economy.

Authorities ruled out another nationwide lockdown when a second wave came but has enacted a night time curfew and closed schools.

Khawasneh told parliament that the kingdom had tripled its healthcare capacity since October and established separate wards for Covid-19 patients.

This includes 4,551 isolation beds, 981 ICU places, and 936 ventilators, according to Jordan Times.

 

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