AMMAN — On
Sunday, Jordan recorded a sharp increase in
COVID-19 cases, with a positivity
rate of 4.44 percent and 1,061 new confirmed cases.
اضافة اعلان
As the highly
contagious
Delta variant continues to spread around the world, the increase
raises concern that the vaccination campaign is not moving fast enough to hold
back the pandemic.
Minister of State
for Media Affairs Sakher Dudin described the increase as “alarming” in a media
statement. He emphasized the ongoing threat of the virus and urged Jordanians
to abide by all health measures and take the COVID-19 vaccine.
"It is the
responsibility of everyone to protect themselves and their loved ones,” he
said.
Similarly, Prime
Minister Bisher Khasawneh urged ministries and public institutions to tighten
the enforcement of safety measures and defense orders.
“This stage,
where many neighboring countries and the whole world are seeing a steady rise
in COVID-19 infections and deaths, requires the highest levels of care and
commitment, as well as more vaccinations to avoid any health setbacks," he
said.
Vaccination campaign continues
As of Sunday, a
total of 2,788,103 people in Jordan have received the first shot of the
vaccine, while a total of 2,060,638 — around 20 percent of the total population
— received both doses. Vaccines being distributed in the country include
Pfizer-BioNTech, Sputnik, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, and Johnson&Johnson.
The country has
also expanded its vaccination campaign. Whereas previously individuals had to
wait for an appointment based on certain priority factors to receive the shot,
now all individuals over the age of 12 can receive a vaccine without an
appointment. Minors must have approval from their parents to get the jab.
Additionally,
those who received Sinopharm but are traveling to countries where the shot is
not accepted are still eligible to receive a third dose of the
Pfizer-BioNTech.
On Monday, July 25, individuals can get the Pfizer booster from 9am until 3pm
at the Orange Digital Village vaccination center.
Around the globe
Jordan is not the
only country witnessing an increase in COVID-19 cases even as vaccination
campaigns have spread. Several countries have reintroduced lockdown measures
and restrictions to combat rising caseloads. The variant has proven
particularly dangerous in areas with low rates of vaccination coverage.
Australia’s New
South Wales, for instance, is facing a new wave of infections after an
anti-lockdown protest. A new wave has also been reported in Lebanon.
A
new variant of the virus, identified as
B.1.621, is also under investigation in the United Kingdom. Sixteen cases of
the new variant have been confirmed in the UK, although it is not clear whether
it leads to more severe illness or makes vaccines less effective.
According to the
World Health Organization’s July 20th epidemiological update, the global number
of new cases reported from July 12-18 was over 3.4 million, a 12 percent
increase from the previous week.
Read more National news
.jpg)
.jpg)
