Jordan’s bid to vaccinate refugees wins praise
Canada and the UN have praised Jordan for starting coronavirus vaccinations simultaneously for refugees and its own citizens.
Jordan began its first public inoculations on Wednesday, with hospitals in the northern provinces of Irbid and Mafraq administering the first doses.
The government has begun vaccinating the most vulnerable and the elderly, with people registering online.
About 200,000 have registered for vaccination in the first wave.
Raia Alkabasi, an Iraqi living in the northern city of Irbid, on Thursday became the first refugee to receive the vaccine.
“Once again, Jordan has shown exemplary leadership and solidarity in hosting refugees,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
“The country has included refugees in every aspect of the public health response to the pandemic, including the national vaccination campaign, proving how it should be done if we are to keep everyone safe.”
Yesterday, he tweeted again to praise the “generous leadership” of Jordan for vaccinating the displaced alongside its own nationals.
“Of 90 countries currently developing Covid-19 vaccination campaigns, 51 have decided to include refugees,” he said. “Jordan, host to a large refugee population, has been one of the first to do this – once more showing generous leadership. Inclusion of all is key to beating the pandemic,” Mr Grandi said.
“The vast majority of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries. The international community must do more to support host governments with access to the vaccines,” he said.
Since the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Jordan’s refugee population last September, 1,928 refugees living in camps have tested positive for the virus, the UNHCR said.
Overall, Jordan has registered 313,000 cases of Covid-19 and 4,121 deaths.
Canada’s international development minister echoed Mr Grandi’s sentiments.
Karina Gould said the first refugee receiving a vaccine in Jordan was an important milestone in ending the global pandemic.
“It brings an early glimmer of hope to the most vulnerable as we fight this terrible pandemic.”