AMMAN: Jordan on Wednesday discussed with Russia the possibility of obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, to be added to the list of jabs approved so far by the kingdom’s health authorities.
“We discussed ongoing cooperation in coronavirus combat and the possibility of getting the Russian Sputnik V vaccine to be given to Jordanians and refugees alike,” Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday.
“We in Jordan pay attention to refugees the same degree as to Jordanians. The first refugee to be vaccinated in the world was in Jordan.”
The kingdom, which began a mass immunization campaign early in January, has so far approved the Chinese Sinopharm and the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
Jordan’s Health Minister Nathir Obeidat has said priority is being given to the elderly with chronic conditions, and those with the highest exposure such as frontline health care workers. The vaccines are free of charge to foreign residents as well as Jordanians, he added.
The kingdom’s health officials have been reiterating that the vaccines are safe, and are urging Jordanians to register on the relevant website.
King Abdullah and the crown prince were vaccinated on Jan. 14. “I received the vaccine, in line with public health recommendations. And I made it a point to take the vaccine in front of cameras so that everyone realizes that it is a safe and easy process,” the king told the Jordan News Agency.
“I experienced some mild side effects, and I felt tired and had trouble sleeping for a couple of days after receiving the shot, but that is a small price to pay compared with actually catching the virus.”
Jordan has to date recorded 329,194 cases of COVID-19 and 4,334 related deaths. The lower house of Parliament is scheduled to hold a special session on Sunday to discuss the health, economic and social consequences of the pandemic, upon a request by 26 MPs.
Leading medical journal The Lancet on Tuesday said Sputnik V is “91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19.” The results suggest that it is among the top performing vaccines.
Jordan seeks Russian Sputnik V vaccine
https://arab.news/carya
Jordan seeks Russian Sputnik V vaccine
- Health minister: Priority is being given to the elderly with chronic conditions and those with the highest exposure
- The vaccines will be free of charge to foreign residents as well as Jordanians
US plans meeting for Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ in Washington on Feb 19, Axios reports
- The Axios report cited a US official and diplomats from four countries that are on the board
- The plans for the meeting, which would also be a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction, are in early stages and could still change, Axios reported
WASHINGTON: The White House is planning the first leaders meeting for President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” in relation to Gaza on February 19, Axios reported on Friday, citing a US official and diplomats from four countries that are on the board.
The plans for the meeting, which would also be a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction, are in early stages and could still change, Axios reported.
The meeting is planned to be held at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, the report added, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on February 18, a day before the planned meeting.
The White House and the US State Department did not respond to requests for comment.
In late January, Trump launched the board that he will chair and which he says will aim to resolve global conflicts, leading to many experts being concerned that such a board could undermine the United Nations.
Governments around the world have reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join that initiative. While some of Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have joined, many of its traditional Western allies have thus far stayed away.
A UN Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the board and countries working with it to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire began in October under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off.
Under Trump’s Gaza plan revealed late last year, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Trump thereafter said it would be expanded to tackle global conflicts.
Many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs resembled a colonial structure and have criticized the board for not including a Palestinian.The fragile ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly violated, with over 550 Palestinians and four Israeli soldiers reported killed since the truce began in October. Israel’s assault on Gaza since late 2023 has killed over 71,000 Palestinians, caused a hunger crisis and internally displaced
Gaza’s entire population.
Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defense after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took over 250 hostages in a late 2023 attack.
