Jordan has made initial agreements with three major pharmaceutical companies to buy coronavirus vaccines, the health minister said.
The country is grappling with a spike in infections and economic problems worsened by the pandemic.
Nizar Obeidat said, once they are available, the government will buy vaccines from American companies Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson as well as from Britain’s AstraZeneca.
But vaccination against the pandemic will not be compulsory in the country of 10 million people, he said.
“Contracting more than one [company] is important to guarantee that these vaccines will be available as soon as possible,” Mr Obeidat said late on Monday.
He expected the first vaccinations to arrive in Jordan in the first quarter of next year, with priority to inoculate medical staff and the elderly.
“Giving anyone a vaccine or treatment is not possible without their approval,” he said.
The minister did not give details on how much the government expects to pay for the vaccines, or whether it has already set aside the funds.
Officials say state revenue took a hit from declining economic activity this year.
Health Ministry data released on Tuesday showed 46 new deaths from the coronavirus in Jordan and 3,062 cases.
Most of the country’s 3,162 deaths from the pandemic and 247,000 infections were recorded from October, prompting a renewed curfew that started on November 11.
The economy is officially forecast to contract by 3 per cent this year. The Finance Ministry says the coronavirus and other “external factors” will drive the decline.
In 2019 the economy officially recorded a 2 per cent growth.
Coronavirus around the world
-
A worker counts oxygen tanks in a factory amid shortage of oxygen cylinders as Covid-19 cases rise, in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA -
Vehicles line up to enter a testing site at Dodger Stadium on the first day of new stay-at-home orders in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
Few people use the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) system in downtown Atlanta where tourism and businesses have been hard hit by coronavirus. AFP -
A tented area which had been used for outdoor restaurant dining at Denny's stands empty on the first day of new stay-at-home orders on December 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
Mannequins adorned with protective face masks are pictured in a window at The Grove shopping center during a partial lockdown amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Los Angeles, California, US. Reuters -
A person uses her mobile phone at sunset from Griffith Observatory during a partial lockdown, in Los Angeles, California. Reuters -
Binasa Musovic (left), an educational paraprofessional and Chris Frank, a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124, teach blended learning students during the first day back to school in New York City. AFP -
Medical staff member Anita Pandey holds a Christmas decoration at the nursing station in the Covid-19 ward at the United Memorial Medical Centre in Houston, Texas. AFP -
Principal Alice Hom (centre) meets parents who are picking their children up during dismissal on the first day back to school in New York City. AFP -
Few people walk through the streets of downtown Atlanta where tourism and businesses have been hard hit by coronavirus (COVID-19) on December 07, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. Many parts of Georgia are experiencing the largest surge in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases since the summer. Georgia hit a new single-day record of more than 6,000 suspected and confirmed infections on Friday, which pushed the state's rolling 7-day average to nearly 4,300. AFP -
An ornamental garden bird wears a face mask outside a home in Manchester, UK. Getty Images -
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, visit a food bank at Old Smithfield Market on the second day of a three-day tour across the country in Manchester, England. During the tour the royal couple will visit communities, outstanding individuals and key workers to thank them for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images
