Jordan receives third batch of COVID vaccine AstraZeneca in fight against pandemic

AMMAN — In collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Health and the COVAX global initiative, Jordan has received a further shipment of 146,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca – making this the third batch to be received by Jordan. 

COVAX, which is co-led by CEPI, GAVI, the Vaccines Alliance and the World Health Organisation, is a global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times. 

In a statement, Minister of Health Dr Feras Hawari said: “In line with the national strategy for the purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Jordan is among the first countries in the Middle East and Africa to receive its third batch of vaccines via the COVAX initiative”.

“Through these efforts, we aim to increase the number of administered vaccine doses to three million by the end of June 2021. This will accommodate the growing number of vaccine registrations that we are witnessing across the Kingdom on our vaccination platform, and will enable us to return to normal life as soon as possible,” he added.

AstraZeneca’s country director for Jordan, Abdul Karim Al Dissi, said: “Recognising the urgent need for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine to defeat the virus, in April 2020 AstraZeneca joined forces with the University of Oxford to make a meaningful difference to the course of the pandemic and save lives.” 

“Together we are committed to providing the vaccine broadly and equitably across the globe, at no profit during the pandemic period,” Dissi noted.

Dissi added, with reference to the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine: “COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca has helped to save tens of thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of hospitalisations since the start of this year”. 

“More than 400 million doses of our vaccine have been released for supply globally, and more than 165 countries have received our vaccine through bilateral/regional agreements and through the COVAX facility,” he noted.