AMMAN – With sectors reopening and
nationwide curfew being lifted for the vaccinated, there is a sense among many Jordanians
that the pandemic is behind us.
اضافة اعلان
“For the past few weeks... the
epidemiological situation has been stable, in terms of the number of cases, the
positivity rate, and the [hospital] admission rate,” said Mohannad Al-Nsour, a
member of the National Epidemiological Committee and executive director of the
Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network, in an interview with
Jordan News.
Indeed, from June 11-18, Jordan’s
PCR test positivity rate did not exceed 2.78 percent; the highest number of daily
cases reported was 546.
Nsour added that while the situation
is reassuring, Jordanians must continue to take preventative measures like
wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and avoiding large gatherings of
people.
“We’ve entered a stage of
reassurance too early; it’s a bit of a fake reassurance,” he explained.
He warned that the recent reopening
of many sectors might lead to an increase in cases, but that “generally
speaking, the situation is good and hopefully it’ll stay that way.”
While there is cause for hope, new
variants pose yet another challenge in the nation’s fight against the pandemic.
According to Minister of Health
Feras Al-Hawari in remarks to the press, Jordan recorded 170 cases of the Delta
variant of the coronavirus that originated in India, which is believed to be
more transmissible. According to Hawari, this could lead to a COVID setback in
Jordan.
“The one thing that we’re worried
about, and that’s pushing us to be even more cautious, are the mutations we’re
seeing… we have to keep tracking them,” said Nsour.
He emphasized the need to focus on
vaccine acceptance among citizens, and hoped that 4.5 million people will be
vaccinated by September.
“Let’s not forget that a sizable
portion of the population has already been infected with COVID-19, around 50
percent,” which – in addition to continued vaccination rollout – will bring the
country closer to achieving herd immunity.
Ahmad Sarahneh, an MP and Head of the Lower House Health and Environment
Committee, echoed Nsour, telling Jordan News that “it is a dangerous virus and
anything can be expected, but we hope that we will not face a third wave as we
continue to move forward with vaccination.”
In an op-ed published in Saraha
News, former MP Ibrahim Bdour urged caution regarding the future of the
epidemiological situation in Jordan.
“It is expected that Jordan will see
an increase in the number and percentage of infections in this next stage, but
these numbers won’t be like the ones recorded in earlier waves… within 2500 to
3000 daily cases,” he noted.
Like Nsour, Bdour maintained that we
should continue to practice caution and take preventative measures.
“Even though we are living in a
situation of calm and stability these days, this does not mean that we are in
the clear or that we have defeated COVID-19,” he wrote.
He added that it is important not to
forget that “the only way to end this virus is to inoculate more than 70
percent of the population…only then can we reopen all our sectors and say that
we have defeated the virus.”
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