Jordan vaccinates nearly a third of eligible refugees against Covid-19

More than 13,000 refugees have been inoculated since the start of the year

A refugee in Syria's Zaatari camp receives a shot of the Covid-19 vaccine. AFP

Thirty percent of refugees in Jordan eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine have received at least their first dose, the UN’s refugee agency said on Thursday.

Of the 47,000 refugees eligible for the jab – not including pregnant women and children under the age of 18 – 13,455 have been inoculated this year.

“The success of the vaccination campaign is very much connected to the government’s decision to include all persons on Jordanian territory – nationals and refugees,” said UNHCR Jordan Representative Dominik Bartsch.

“But we cannot stop here. We need to carry forward the momentum generated thus far to ensure that all eligible refugees are vaccinated. Our aim is to leave no one behind – nobody is safe until everyone is safe,” Mr Bartsch said.

Jordan’s three main camps – Zaatari, Azraq and the Emirati-Jordanian camp – house around 120,00 refugees from the region.

A record 1,558 refugees were vaccinated in the Zaatari camp on Tuesday. It has two vaccination centres. Azraq has one.

Working alongside the Jordanian Health Minister, the UNHCR has been able to roll out the vaccination campaign since January.

The Emirati Red Crescent has led the vaccination campaign in the Emirati-Jordanian camp. 
Jordan is expected to gradually end its curfew next month as part of a plan to reopen the economy, its interior minister said.

The country reported 12 deaths from the virus and 842 new infections on Wednesday, bringing the official death toll to 9,407, with 734,000 cases discovered since the outbreak began.

Medics, however, say the actual numbers infected are much higher.