Jordan receives first Pfizer vaccine shipment

Jordan received its first shipment of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on Monday ahead of the start of its vaccination drive this week.

The doses arrived at the country's Alia airport on a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight on Monday after an earlier shipment over the weekend of Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm's shot. Officials have not said exactly how many doses arrived on Monday, and more shipments are expected to arrive in the coming weeks. Jordan's health minister has said that the country expects to secure enough doses to vaccinate 20% of the country's 10.5 million people and that additional doses would be obtained as needed.

Jordan begins vaccinating its population on Wednesday, starting with front-line workers and vulnerable groups. Jordan has recorded more than 4,000 deaths and 308,600 confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic.