Refugees in Jordan receive COVID-19 vaccinations as inoculation drive rolls-out: UN
January 26, 2021, 11:55 am

Refugees in Jordan receive COVID-19 vaccinations as inoculation drive rolls-out: UN

A medical worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the Irbid Vaccination Clinic in Jordan. (Supplied: UNHCR/Jose Cendon)

Jordan has become one of the world’s first countries to start COVID-19 vaccinations for refugees, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, has reported.

Jordan hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from the region’s conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya.

Raia Alkabasi, an Iraqi refugee living in the northern city of Irbid, was the first UNHCR-registered refugee in the country to receive the vaccine at the Irbid Vaccination Clinic..

Jordan’s Ministry of Health is administering the vaccinations.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “Once again Jordan has shown exemplary leadership and solidarity in hosting refugees."

“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."

“I appeal to all countries to follow suit and include refugees in their vaccination drives.”

FILE PHOTO: Syrian refugees collect water at the Al-Zaatari refugee camp in Mafraq, Jordan, near the border with Syria August 18, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed/File Photo

As part of Jordan’s national COVID-19 vaccination plan, which began on January 14, anyone living in the country, including refugees and asylum seekers, is entitled to receive the vaccine free of charge.

The UN refugee agency says it is working closely with Jordan’s Ministry of Health to administer the vaccination to those housed in the Zaatari and Azraq camps for Syrian refugees.

Through the vaccination program, Jordan intends to inoculate one in four of the ten million population in the country.

Earlier this month, Jordan struck a deal with Pfizer and partner BioNTech to buy 1 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine and another 2 million doses from the World Health Organization’s COVAX program, with talks underway for more.

Authorities hope to vaccinate between 20 percent and 25 percent of citizens over the coming months. More than 200,000 people – including refugees - have so far signed up since registrations began.

National authorities are responsible for public health responses and COVID-19 vaccination programs.

According to the UNHCR, of the 90 countries currently developing national COVID-19 vaccination strategies, 51 have committed to include refugees.

“The vast majority of the world’s refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries,” said Grandi. “The international community must do more to support host governments with access to the vaccines. Global and equitable access is what will ultimately protect lives and stem the pandemic.”

Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed among refugees in Jordan in September last year, 1,928 refugees living in refugee camps have tested positive for the virus. The proportion of refugees with COVID-19 has also remained low, at 1.6 per cent, compared to three per cent among the general Jordanian population.

source: Jennifer Bell

Image source: Jose Cendon

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”