Jordan Launches Covid Vaccination Campaign

Jordan Launches Covid Vaccination Campaign

Jordan launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

The kingdom said on Saturday that it had granted an "emergency license" for the use of China's Sinopharm vaccine, the second vaccine it approved after the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech.

The first injections were given at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, after the authorities designated 29 vaccination centers across Jordan, including seven in the capital Amman.

Wael Hayajneh, head of the epidemics and communicable diseases department at the health ministry, said Jordan was among the "first 40 countries to be vaccinated" against the novel coronavirus.

"I advise everyone to take the vaccine as it is the only trusted solution to end the coronavirus," Doctor Etimad al-Khawaja told AFP after getting a shot.

"The health situation in Jordan will not get better unless we all get vaccinated."

The government says its priority is to give the vaccines -- which are free for Jordanians and foreign residents -- to about a quarter of the country's 10 million inhabitants.

Health Minister Natheer Obeidat expressed hope that everyone would register and get inoculated.

"The vaccination