A third of refugees eligible for COVID vaccine have been vaccinated in Jordan’s refugee camps — UNHCR

AMMAN — Out of the 47,000 refugees who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine living in Jordan’s refugee camps, 13,455 — representing a 30 per cent of the eligible population — have now received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, UNHCR Jordan said on Wednesday.  

Although Zaatari, Azraq and the Emirati-Jordanian camp are home to about 120,000 refugees, the exclusion of children under 18 and pregnant women from taking the vaccine means that only 47,000 refugees are currently eligible to register for and receive the vaccine, the UN agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

UNHCR Jordan has been working closely with the Jordanian Ministry of Health to roll out the vaccination campaign since the start of the year. The Emirati Red Crescent has led the vaccination campaign in the Emirati-Jordanian camp. 

On May 25, a record 1,558 refugees were vaccinated in a single day in Zaatari camp. Two vaccination centres operate in the camp, as well as one in Azraq camp. 

In addition, over 20,000 refugees are currently registered on the Ministry of Health platform and are awaiting their vaccination appointments. 

UNHCR Jordan and partners are currently focusing on raising awareness among the remaining population about the benefits of taking the vaccine and encouraging them to register, the statement said.  

“The success of the vaccination campaign is very much connected to the government’s decision to include all persons on Jordanian territory, nationals and refugees,” said UNHCR Jordan Representative, Dominik Bartsch. 

“But we cannot stop here. We need to carry forward the momentum generated thus far to ensure that all eligible refugees are vaccinated. Our aim is to leave no one behind — nobody is safe until everyone is safe,” Bartsch added.

Refugees living outside of refugee camps in urban areas and cities in Jordan have also been receiving their COVID-19 vaccine independently of UNHCR, by simply approaching their local vaccination centres when they receive an appointment, the statement said.

The inclusion of refugees within the national COVID-19 response plan and vaccination campaign has once again emphasised the generosity that Jordan has shown in hosting large numbers of refugees, the UN agency said. 

Jordan was one of the first countries in the world to start to vaccinate refugees back in January.  

UNHCR Jordan continues to work closely with the Jordanian Ministry of Health to ensure that refugees receive the vaccine on par with the local population and encourages everyone to register at vaccine.jo, concluded the statement.