AMMAN — Around 400,000
people have received the booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to
Adel Balbisi, health adviser at the prime minister's office and the official in
charge of the COVID-19 crisis.
اضافة اعلان
In a statement Tuesday, Balbisi
stressed the need to receive the third dose three months after the second shot,
noting that it enhances immunity against the virus and its variants by 80
percent.
About 40 percent of the Kingdom's
population over the age of 18 was given the vaccine, 70 percent of whom got the
first jab, and 65 percent the second, he said.
Balbisi predicted an increase in the
number of
coronavirus infections over the next two weeks, as the fourth wave of
pandemic continues with the spread of the
Delta and Omicron variants, adding
that the peak of this wave will be reached during the first week of February.
He assured that coronavirus patients
hospital admission and occupancy rate are "comforting", having
reaching about 30 percent, and that the rate of death from the virus has
significantly dropped as the national immunization campaign continues.
On easing COVID-19 restrictions, Balbisi
said that the government will introduce new measures after the end of the
fourth wave.
Moreover, he pointed out that during
the vaccination campaign targeting students from the 7th to the 12th grade the
first shot was administered to 2,900 students out of the 972,440 students who
had registered to get the vaccine. He urged parents to consent to having their
children vaccinated, as this will help them return to in-person education.
Balbisi said that the ministry had decided
to immunize children aged 5 to 11, but it has not yet started this campaign due
to the need for special procedures and arrangements.
"There are no compelling
reasons for a lockdown," assured Balbisi, stressing that the Kingdom's
health sector is going strong. He also pointed out that each country makes its
own decisions regarding easing or lifting restrictions, based on its
epidemiological situation and vaccination rates.
He reiterated the need for anyone above
the age of 11 to get vaccinated, calling on the public to adhere to safety
procedures and precautionary measures, including wearing a facemask, and
maintaining physical distancing.
"Talk of the end of the
pandemic following the spread of the
Omicron variant is misinformed," Balbisi
stressed, indicating that a virus that spreads quickly is unpredictable,
especially as the vaccination rate is still below par.
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