400,000 people have received 3rd COVID booster jab — Bilbeisi

AMMAN — Around 400,000 people have received the booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, adviser at the Prime Ministry for Health Affairs and the official in charge of the COVID-19 pandemic Adel Bilbeisi said on Tuesday.

In a statement to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Bilbeisi stressed the need to receive the third dose three months after the second shot, noting that it enhances immunity against the virus and its variants by 80 per cent.

About 40 per cent of the Kingdom's population over the age of 18 was given the vaccine, 70 per cent of whom got the first jab, and 65 per cent got the second, Bilbeisi noted.

He expected an increase in the number of coronavirus infections over the next two weeks as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues, which saw a spread of the Delta and Omicron variants. He said the peak of this wave will hit during the first week of February.

On hospital admissions, he assured that coronavirus patients' admission and occupancy rate are "at comfortable levels", reaching about 30 per cent. Death rate from the virus has significantly dropped, he underscored, as the national immunisation campaign continues.

On easing COVID-19 restrictions, Bilbeisi stated that the government will introduce new measures after the end of the fourth wave.

Moreover, he pointed out that the vaccination campaign targeting students from the 7th to the 12th grade has administered the first shot to 2,900 students out of the 972,440 students who have registered for the vaccine, urging parents to give consent to inoculate their children, which plays a major role in the safe return to in-class education.

Bilbeisi said that the Health Ministry decided to immunise children aged 5 to 11 years old, but it has not yet been implemented due to the need for special procedures and arrangements.

There are no compelling reasons for a lockdown, Bilbeisi said, noting that the Kingdom's health sector is “going strong”. 

He reiterated the need to get the vaccinations for anyone over the age of 11, calling on the public to adhere to safety procedures and precautionary measures including wearing a face mask and physical distancing.

Speaking of the end of the pandemic following the spread of the Omicron variant is wrong, Bilbeisi stressed, indicating that a virus that spreads quickly is unpredictable, especially as the vaccination rate is still below envisioned rates.