• A Syrian refugee receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a medical centre in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in February. AFP
    A Syrian refugee receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a medical centre in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in February. AFP
  • Syrian refugees wait to receive their vaccine at Zaatari. AFP
    Syrian refugees wait to receive their vaccine at Zaatari. AFP
  • The UK is leading calls for a vaccination ceasefire to allow Covid-19 vaccines to reach people living in conflict zones. AFP
    The UK is leading calls for a vaccination ceasefire to allow Covid-19 vaccines to reach people living in conflict zones. AFP
  • About $2.4bn has been raised for the UN-backed Covax campaign to help developing countries that are unable to afford their own vaccine stockpiles. AFP
    About $2.4bn has been raised for the UN-backed Covax campaign to help developing countries that are unable to afford their own vaccine stockpiles. AFP
  • A medical worker prepares the coronavirus vaccine made by Sinopharm to administer to Syrian refugees in Jordan. AP Photo
    A medical worker prepares the coronavirus vaccine made by Sinopharm to administer to Syrian refugees in Jordan. AP Photo
  • Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab highlighted the 160 million people who could miss out on Covid-19 vaccination because of conflict in their countries. AP Photo
    Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab highlighted the 160 million people who could miss out on Covid-19 vaccination because of conflict in their countries. AP Photo
  • Syrian refugees ride their bicycles in the Zaatari camp, where a Covid-19 vaccination programme has begun. EPA
    Syrian refugees ride their bicycles in the Zaatari camp, where a Covid-19 vaccination programme has begun. EPA
  • 'Global vaccination coverage is essential to beating coronavirus,' UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. EPA
    'Global vaccination coverage is essential to beating coronavirus,' UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said. EPA

Health

UAE launches Covid-19 vaccination drive for refugees in Iraq and Jordan

Emirates Red Crescent teams to lead campaign that will immunise thousands of people

The National

May 16, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE launched the first phase of a vaccination drive to protect tens of thousands of refugees from the coronavirus in Jordan and Iraq.

Emirates Red Crescent will prove assistance to efforts to overcome the pandemic in both nations.

The initiative - delivered in partnership with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, health ministries in Iraq and Jordan, and the United Nations Refugee Agency - will benefit 12,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and 15,000 displaced people from Syria and Iraqi in Kurdistan, Iraq.

The campaign follows the directives of the Mother of the Nation Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.

ERC will continue to provide essential supplies to refugees in both countries, state news agency Wam reported.

Two ERC delegations will leave the UAE shortly for Iraq and Jordan to see that the initiatives are put into effect.

Dr Mohammed Ateeq, secretary general of the ERC, said the inoculation push will at first focus on the elderly and those suffering from chronic illnesses.

The ERC sent four planeloads of coronavirus vaccines to Syria in recent weeks to ease pressure on the country's health sector.

The aid effort is part of the UAE's global response to the outbreak, which has involved sending supplies to scores of countries.

While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAECoronavirus