The main health center in Baqaa Tuesday, which is affiliated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), began operating as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

On the first day, the center received more than 260 people who registered on the Ministry of Health’s official coronavirus vaccination platform. The UNRWA medical team, along with a team from the ministry, administered people with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Staff members made sure to abide by health and safety measures including social distancing, wearing face masks and following up with individuals after receiving the first dose of the vaccine.

One of the Palestinian refugees at the Baqaa camp Hassan Hussein (69) said he is very happy to receive the vaccine within 24 hours of registering on the online platform, especially in light of the continuous increase in the number COVID-19 cases. He added that it became necessary to get vaccinated as a form of prevention in order to prevent further spreading of the virus.

The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Jordan Marta Lorenzo said "On behalf of UNRWA, I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Jordanian government for its continuous cooperation with the Agency to continue providing the necessary services to Palestine refugees, especially in light of the current circumstances of the spread of coronavirus."

Lorenzo noted that Jordan is one of the first countries to offer vaccination to everyone in the Kingdom whether they are citizens, residents, refugees or immigrants.

This vaccination service will be available on a daily basis at the Baqaa health center to ensure that the largest number of people receive the coronavirus vaccine. Two other centers affiliated with the agency will also be allocated.