Ammon News -

Minister of Health, Nazir Obeidat, has said that a safe return to work is not a 'mere slogan' but a comprehensive strategy to address the COVID-19 pandemic through securing the necessary vaccinations for the largest proportion of the Kingdom's residents.

During a session of the Lower House of Parliament on Sunday, Obeidat urged the public to register on the vaccination platform, and work side-by-side to promote a culture of commitment through adherence to prevention measures.

The implementation of the national immunization plan, he added, aims at preserving health security which is an integral part of comprehensive security considering the "safe vaccine a major scientific achievement and a new breakthrough to address the pandemic."

The minister stated that the government has signed binding agreements to supply vaccines for around 23 percent of citizens, noting that work is underway to increase this percentage to vaccinate about 3 million people.

The success of the national vaccination project, he underlined, hinges on the availability of vaccines, and the logistical capabilities related to the safe delivery of the vaccine, an aspect included in a government plan in this regard, as well as citizens' cooperation through registration on the platform.

Obeidat also discussed the emergence of the virus in the Kingdom since March of 2020 and until the community outbreak last September, which obligated a change in the rules and methods of curbing the virus.

He pointed to the key issues that the current government, which was formed four months ago, has worked on to deal with the pandemic, including the production of estimates of the possible cases of infection according to a statistical analysis model.

Detailing the current government's COVID-19 measures, Obeidat stated that national hospital capacity was increased, including an increase in isolation beds, intensive care beds, and respiratory devices, in addition to the creating isolation wards in all hospitals.

Additionally, the number of isolation beds in government hospitals and the Royal Medical Services went up from 1,325 to 2,263 beds, and intensive care beds went from 306 to 542 beds, while the number of respiratory devices increased from 263 to 471.

The government also built four field hospitals at a cost of JD16 million, supplied with JD8 million worth of equipment, said Obeidat, noting that the total cost of preparations and preventative medical anti-coronavirus measures taken cost JD102 million.

On the COVID-19 testing stations, the minister said there are 125 fixed and computerized testing points, with a capacity to conduct 135,000 tests per day with the result coming back in less than two hours. Jordan, he added, was one of the first countries to conduct genetic sequencing tests that detect new mutations and strains.