3 local coronavirus infections reported in Irbid on Friday

AMMAN — Jordan registered three local  COVID-19 infections on Friday — a lawyer in Irbid and two people who came in contact with him, following weeks of registering very few local infections, according to the National Epidemiological Committee.

“After the infection was detected, the epidemiological teams' testing revealed that a woman and her daughter, who were in touch with the initial case, were also infected,” spokesperson of the committee Nazir Obaidat told The Jordan Times on Saturday over the phone.

Obaidat said that since Jordan has not registered many cases for a while, the new three cases "could potentially form an epicentre for the virus", which he hopes be only limited to the Ramtha area.

“This occurrence is nothing new for Jordan anymore, and testing teams have sufficient knowledge to contain the situation at this point and prevent the spread,” he said.

Obaidat added that work is ongoing to obtain samples from any possible people who came into contact with the infected three. 

Director of Health Affairs in Irbid Riad Shiab said on Friday that the lawyer is 24 years old and resides in the Bait Ras area in Irbid.

The three-storey building where he lives has been isolated, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Shiab also said that the results revealed that the lawyer's sister, who is in her 30s, and her 11-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus as well, Petra reported.

The two cases were taken to the isolation ward at Prince Hamzah Hospital in Amman, while 30 other samples were tested negative, he added.

The Kingdom also registered four cases from abroad on Friday, increasing the caseload to 1,239, according to a Health Ministry's briefing.