During a press conference Sunday, the Minister of Health Nathir Obeidat and the Head of the Coronavirus Portfolio Wael Al-Hayajneh discussed the national COVID-19 vaccination program.

Obeidat confirmed that the ministry has made all the required preparations to begin a national vaccination program starting Wednesday morning.

He added that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines have been approved for use by the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA).

The arrival of vaccines does not mean that the pandemic has come to an end, Obeidat said. However, he stressed that the vaccines will have a massive impact on the COVID-19 situation in the Kingdom.

Obeidat stressed that the vaccines will be distributed without discrimination, and he confirmed that the first batch of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Jordan Monday.

The COVAX consortium will provide vaccines to 189 countries in the world, said Obeidat, adding that Jordan has participated in the initiative. There are agreements with AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and the UAE company responsible for distributing the Sinopharm vaccine.

He pointed out that the contracted quantities are sufficient for 20 percent of the citizens, and additional vaccines will be obtained  in the event that there is a demand for them.

Hayajneh announced that Jordan is aiming to obtain vaccines from multiple sources other than Pfizer and Sinopharm.

He stressed that a national guide will be available that includes procedures capable of dealing with all vaccines, regardless of the temperature of their storage.

He added that the national vaccination program will begin Wednesday morning in 29 different vaccination centers, while reiterating the need to register for the vaccine using the Health Ministry platform at https://vaccine.jo/cvms/