The former official in charge of the coronavirus portfolio at the Ministry of Health, Wael Al-Hayajneh, said Thursday that successive studies indicated that the Delta coronavirus strain exceeds its British predeccsor in transmissibility by 60 percent.

On Facebook, Hayajneh added, "So that our memory does not betray us, the British version was and still is faster in transmissibility than the first Chinese version."

He continued, noting that the "modern versions" of the virus are "more cursed" than their predecessors, and therefore Jordanians are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated as they approach a hot and 'open-sector' summer.

Hayajneh provided some evidence on the importance of receiving two doses of the vaccine:

A- Two weeks after taking the second dose of Pfizer vaccine, the efficacy reaches 88 percent against the Delta strain, which first originated in India.

B- Two weeks after taking the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, the efficacy reaches 60 percent against the Delta strain.

A- After three weeks of receiving only one dose of either vaccine, the efficacy only reaches 33 percent.

He added that the Jordanian vaccination program against the COVID-19 is "distinguished and effective," and is implemented with a high degree of efficiency and competence.

Hayajneh called on citizens and residents to support the campaign in order to reach vaccination rates of no less than 35 percent of the population. 

Hayajneh concluded his post, "Let's work together towards a safe summer for us, our visitors, our guests, and our economy - and our motto is 'Two doses, not one'."