São Paulo – Several Arab countries have started vaccinating against COVID-19. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco are some of the countries that are leading the race to vaccinate as of Tuesday (23) as per figures from the publication Our World in Data, which relies on official sources and local press.
The UAE has administered 7.4 million doses, and over 2.2 million people were immunized with both doses. The number of administered doses include those that received two doses and only one, accounting for 50% of residents. The vaccines in the UAE include Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinopharm-Beijing, Sinopharm-Wuhan, and Sputnik V.
More than 3 million people were vaccinated against the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, making up about 70% of citizens and residents who registered to receive the dose, the Ministry of Health announced, according to newspapers Al Arabiya and Arab News. Pictured above, a Saudi man receives the dose.
According to official data, the vaccines administered in Saudi Arabia are Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech. Over 500 inoculation centers are open around the country, including in pharmacies, to make sure that everyone has access to them, according to the ministry. The Ministry of Health has emphasized the safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines, amid queries and doubts that have pushed some in the country to opt out of getting the jabs.
Egypt has provided a coronavirus vaccine to nearly 30,000 citizens, newspaper Al Ahram reported on Tuesday (23). About 488,000 citizens have registered for the vaccine on the Ministry of Health’s website. Egypt started its vaccination campaign in January with Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines. The country is still suffering from the second wave of the pandemic although it managed to get past the peak, and President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday, 21, the country is on the threshold of a third wave.
Bahrain is preparing to host the Formula 1 Grand Prix from March 26 through 28. Only residents immunized over 2 weeks ago are allowed to watch the races. Over 238,900 people in Bahrain have been immunized, making up 14.56% of the population. Vaccines administered include Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech, Covishield-AstraZeneca and Sputnik V.
According to Kuwait’s official news agency, 538,000 people received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab in the country, and 38,000 people have been immunized, making up 0.9% of the population. The country has 4 million residents.
Jordan has administered 209,00 doses, and over 63,000 people have been immunized with both doses, the National Center for Security and Crisis Management said on Sunday, 21. Vaccines administered are Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinopharm-Beijing. The country has around 10 million residents, and the number accounts for 0.63% of the population.
In Lebanon, 50,000 people have been immunized with both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making up 0.73% of the population. So far, 148,000 doses have been administered.
Oman has immunized 19,000 people and administered 120,000 doses. Vaccines available in the country are Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech. Only 0.38% of the population has been vaccinated.
In Tunisia, 12,496 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Sputnik V have been administered. In Algeria, 75,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered. Qatar administered 637,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
The world has administered 458 million doses of the COVDI-19 vaccine, and 104 million people have been vaccinated, making up 1.33% of the world population. There is a long way to go.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
