Jordan to receive 10.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines this year

Jordan has rolled out a free inoculation program for more than 20 percent of the country’s 10 million population. (AFP)

DUBAI: Jordan will receive 10.2 million doses of coronavirus vaccines this year, the office of Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh said.
The expected deliveries include 2.2 million doses from the Pfizer-BioNTech, 2 million doses from Sinopharm, 2 million from AstraZeneca, 2 million from COVAX Facility and 2 million from Sputnik, state news agency Petra reported, citing the office of the prime ministry.
These vaccines have been approved for use by various health agencies including the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration.
Al-Khasawneh said the coronavirus pandemic had imposed a big pressure on the Kingdom’s hospitals in the central governorates of Amman, Balqa, Zarqa and Madaba with occupancy rates going as high as 77 per cent for intensive care rooms and more than 30 percent for ventilators.
Jordan has tightened public health and safety measures, including a targeted lockdown in areas, to curb the spread of the highly contagious disease.
The measures taken by the government recently were absolutely necessary in an attempt to flatten the epidemic curve, Al-Khasawneh said.
Jordan reported 9,192 new coronavirus cases overnight, with 74 fatalities, bringing the country’s caseload to 514,107 including 5,627 deaths.