20,000 weekly COVID cases bring Kingdom into 3rd wave of pandemic

AMMAN — Jordan has entered the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic after weekly infections reached 20,000 cases, marking an increase of 5,000 infections compared with the week before, Secretary General of the Health Ministry for Epidemics Adel Bilbeisi said on Sunday.

Bilbeisi also pointed to the rise in the percentage of positive tests, which reached 8 per cent. He called on the public to abide by preventive measures, observe physical distancing and get vaccinated, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

Speaking to Jordan Television, Bilbeisi said that hospitals’ capacity for treating COVID-19 patients is still within “comfortable levels”, noting that the occupancy percentage of ICU, isolation and ventilator beds currently does not exceed 30 per cent. 

He noted that Health Ministry hospitals have 3,500 isolation beds, 1,200 ICU beds and 1,000 ventilators. 

The official added that COVID-19 vaccines are available and that the ministry is capable of giving 100,000 daily doses. Citizens and residents are urged to visit vaccination centres and choose the vaccine they prefer, without the need to book an appointment. 

As for the national vaccination programme against the pandemic, he noted that a total of 4.07 million people in the Kingdom have received their first shot of the inoculation and 3.66 million people have received the second shot.

He said that “reaching safety” requires inoculating 75 per cent of the targeted population with two doses of the vaccine.