ReliefWeb

Background:

Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, WHO has worked with partners on public health measures to eliminate the spread of the virus and stressed on the urgency of building a healthier, safer and fairer world. Later in 2020, vaccine development has been expedited via unprecedented collaboration in the multinational pharmaceutical industry and between governments1. By the beginning of 2021, countries around the world began deploying COVID-19 vaccine to fight the global pandemic. On 13 January 2021, Jordan began its vaccination campaign, with healthcare workers and the elderly prioritized for the first shots. The Ministry of Health has launched an online platform (https://vaccine.jo/cvms/) to organize the registration process for those who are interested in receiving the vaccine and announced the availability of the vaccines in over 29 vaccine centers nationwide. On the other hand, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with UN agencies and other governmental entities has launched a national awareness campaign “Elak w Feed” on social media, radio and other channels aiming at disseminating information about COVID-19 safety measures and vaccine as well as raising awareness on the importance of breaking the chain of contamination for the virus to stop spreading.

As of 23 May 2021, 385,142 people were fully vaccinated in Jordan which represents only 3.6% of Jordan’s population. Vaccination is not limited to Jordanians, all individuals on Jordanian soil are eligible to receive it, and it is free-of-charge. Refugees from all nationalities are also encouraged to register for the vaccination especially elderlies and those who suffer from chronic illness. Persons with disabilities are also prioritized through the government's joint efforts to reach out to individuals with limited mobility and ensure no one is left behind.

In late March 2021, statistics showed that 45% of Jordan population registered to receive COVID-19 vaccine were females. However, there is no published data that reflects the number of females who received the vaccine since the start of vaccination campaign. Availability of such age and sex disaggregated data remains however paramount to understand the current situation, challenges and gaps faced by the different groups.

In addition to the considerations that should be taken into account for people with limited mobility such as persons with disabilities and elderlies, considerations related to cultural barriers and unequal power dynamics that may hamper women and other marginalized groups from accessing vaccination centers should be looked into. A large number of women lack decision-making power over their own bodies and health, hindering their ability to choose whether to get the COVID-19 vaccine or not. In another scenario women may not be able to access vaccination centers due to distance lack of safe transportation and childcare arrangements especially in the case of female headed households. This may increase family tensions and risks of exposure to IPV, denial of resources and other forms of GBV.