Health Ministry expands testing of suspected COVID-19 cases

AMMAN — The Ministry of Health is ready to test any suspected COVID-19 cases showing symptoms of the virus, Minister of Health Saad Jaber said on Wednesday.

In a ministry statement, Jaber refuted a number of rumours circulated on social media regarding the availability of 333 rapid response teams at the ministry to test suspected coronavirus cases at citizens’ homes, as well as circulated information about the ministry providing numbers for the epidemiological tracking hotline.

He stressed that the ministry will expand coronavirus testing for people suspected of being infected with the virus after 21,000 additional testing kits arrived on Tuesday.

Jaber said that the ministry had set up the 24-hour "Ask about Coronavirus" service via the hotline number 111 for receiving inquiries about COVID-19, its symptoms and ways to prevent it, adding that the ministry also made its own hotline numbers available to questions about the pandemic.

The minister called on the public to access information and news about the coronavirus from official sources, urging people to exercise caution against rumours and false news aiming to mislead the public regarding the government and relevant agencies’ efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Jordan.