Jordan orders one million Pfizer vaccine doses for shipment in January

Kingdom launched a website last week for people to register for inoculation

A nurse prepares to administer Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the hospital, in Ventspils, Latvia,  December 28, 2020. EPA

Jordan has ordered one million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, with the first shipment expected at the end of January or early February, the health minister said on Monday.

Jordan has recorded 289,748 cases of the Covid-19 disease, including 3,778 deaths, and the numbers continue to rise daily.

"Jordan will receive one million vaccines from Pfizer-BionNTech in instalments from January or early February," said Health Minister Nazir Obeidat in remarks carried by the state-run Petra news agency.

He said the country was seeking to make vaccines available to more than 20 per cent of the 11 million-strong population, "which means to suffice for 2.2 million citizens."

Jordan announced in mid-December that it had approved emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, adding that talks were under way with other pharmaceutical firms.

Dr Obeidat said that Jordan has made initial agreements to buy vaccines from Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, once they are available.

Last week, Jordan launched a website for those wishing to be vaccinated to register to obtain the jab, on condition that they be front line health workers, over 60 or suffering from chronic health conditions.

Jordan ramps up its response against the coronavirus pandemic with the opening of a coronavirus field hospital in Amman this week as part of a government plan to raise treatment capacity before an expected easing of restrictions.

King Abdullah visited the 408-bed hospital last week and crews were on site finishing construction on Sunday.

The hospital has 84 intensive-care beds and 35 ventilators.

A hospital staff member that the hospital would start receiving its first patients today, as they will be transferred from other government hospitals.

King Abdullah, who has been leading official efforts to contain the pandemic, has attended the openings of two other hospitals in the cities of Zarqa and Irbid since cases surged last month.

The three planned hospitals will have a combined capacity of 766 beds.