WHO continues supporting Jordan's Ministry of Health response to COVID-19

Dr Maria Cristina Profili, WHO Representative to Jordan, said: “We are supporting the Ministry's efforts to improve the infrastructure for vaccines’ delivery and use for the most vulnerable populations. This support will also enable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines with hope to halt the COVID-19 pandemic.”

To support the Jordanian Ministry of Health’s transportation and delivery of routine and COVID-19 vaccines through mobile immunization centres, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Jordan through the European Union (EU)’s regional trust fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the Madad Fund, provided 2 refrigerated vehicles and 15 pickups to the national immunization programme.

Ministry of Health in collaboration with WHO country office is also conducting the third round of the "Population-based age stratified Sero-Epidemiological Investigation for COVID-19, which aims to determine the epidemiological exposure and the extent of infection in the Jordan general population after the important upsurge of confirmed cases during the months of November and December 2020. This survey is part of the WHO Unity Studies and is supported by the State of Kuwait.

Ministry of Health and World Health Organization with the support of the State of Kuwait conducted practical training covering all aspects related to COVID-19 vaccination, from distribution up to awareness and communication, targeting around 400 health care workers from various governorates in Jordan

Under the “Jordan Health Programme for Syrian Refugees and Vulnerable Jordanians”, the EU committed €43 million to support the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen Jordan’s primary health care services, out of which around €14 million aims specifically at boosting national COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan.

The EU included a number of fully equipped vehicles to facilitate the distribution of vaccines to target groups saving efforts and time as well as health care personnel, which strengthens the capacity of the Ministry of Health to respond effectively to COVID-19 pandemic. EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou stated that:

“In these difficult circumstances, solidarity is key to beating COVID-19. The EU has been supporting Jordan since the onset of the pandemic, and today, following the rollout of the vaccines, we continue our support to the Ministry of Health’s efforts to overcome the constraints in vaccine distribution by providing the necessary equipment to ensure they are delivered safely across the country, particularly to the most vulnerable.” 

Additionally, 200,000 rapid diagnostic tests for the fast detection of COVID-19 infections and outbreaks at the health facility level were also provided and, along with the Ministry of Health, WHO also provided 300 tablets as part of the European Union fund through EU Regional Trust Fund Health Emergency Project.

The Health Minister Dr Nathir Obeidat acknowledged the partnership with the European Union, through the efforts of WHO in Jordan, to support the health sector, particularly the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.