AMMAN — The
Ministry of Education resumed on
Sunday its COVID-19 vaccination campaign for school students in grades 7–12 in
cooperation with the
Ministry of Health and the National Center for Security
and Crisis Management.
اضافة اعلان
The campaign
began in the first semester of the 2021–2022 academic year after approval from
the
National Epidemiology Committee and the Ministry of Health, following
extensive studies of the impact of the vaccine on children under 18 years. Although
not mandatory, students were encouraged to get fully vaccinated as a measure
that reduces infection rates among young people.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education
Nabil Hanaqtah told
Jordan News that the campaign was briefly paused due
to the exams in most schools as well as the winter break. The campaign is
carried out in close collaboration between the education and health ministries
and covers all public and private schools. “While we do not have a specific
target percentage that we want to reach, we are definitely of the belief that
the more students choose to get vaccinated, the better we can control this
pandemic and its impact.”
In an earlier statement, Najwa Qbeilat, the Education Ministry’s
undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs, said that the campaign
aims to vaccinate 972,400 students across the country. So far, 72,445 students
(17 percent of the campaign’s designated group) have received the first dose,
and 24,422 students the two shots (12.7 percent of the campaign’s targeted
group).
Malak Shweikh, a Jordanian mother of four, who has one
child in the seventh grade, and another in the 10th grade, told
Jordan News that she is not in favor of
vaccinating children under 18 years, and has decided not to vaccinate her two
children. “I am hopeful that they will gain immunity against the virus, should they
ever get infected. I think their bodies will be able to handle this.” Shweikh believes that observing the health
protocol is sufficient enough to reduce the spread of the virus.
Asila Al-Jaafari, a Jordanian mother of five, said that
her son who is in 11th grade, has voluntarily opted to get vaccinated
and that she let him decide for himself. She said that even though the
campaign is not mandatory, “my son and I have realized that not getting
vaccinated will create certain obstacles, like not being able to enter certain
public places.” She said that they both felt that the incentives outweigh the
disadvantages, and this is why her son decided to get vaccinated.
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