In-person education to remain in place during second semester: Health Ministry

Wednesday, the Parliamentary Health Committee held a meeting with the Minister of Health, Feras Al-Hawari, to discuss the epidemiological situation in Jordan.

The head of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Farid Haddad, said that the epidemiological situation in the Kingdom is “very worrying.”

Haddad also spoke about the COVID-19 situation in schools, saying that the total number of coronavirus infections among school students reached 20,000 cases during the past two weeks, indicating that these cases which were recorded among students were mostly undiscovered.

For his part, the Minister of Health Feras Hawari said that herd immunity contributed to reducing the number of COVID-19 infections despite the presence of the Delta variant.

Hawari added that northern governorates confirmed the highest PCR positivity rates in Jordan.

He also spoke about the coronavirus vaccination campaign in the Kingdom, noting that Jordan is one of the first countries to allow the vaccine to be administered for younger age groups.

Hawari pointed out that "the Delta variant entered Jordan on April 14, and the vaccine limited its spread in the summer."

He also noted that the numbers of COVID-19 cases during the third wave are still less than the numbers recorded during the second wave, and that the percentage of positive test rates is currently less than the first and second waves.

Additionally, during the meeting, Hawari stressed that the government plans to continue with in-person education in the second semester.

“One of the ministry's priorities is to preserve in-person education, and we promise that plans will be based on the adoption of in-person education in the second semester," he said.

Hawari lastly indicated that smoking is one of the important factors that increase the number of coronavirus deaths in Jordan, pointing out that Jordan is one of the top three countries in the world with the percentage of smoking.