Shkoi Kurdistan-
The Kurdistan Region received more than 43,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday.
“I’m pleased to announce the arrival of a new batch of 43,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Baghdad today,” tweeted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, adding that the vaccine “will be administered according to our group-based rollout plan.”
This is the Kurdistan Region’s share of 336,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine delivered to Iraq on Thursday through the COVAX initiative, designed to provide equitable access to vaccines across the globe. They will be distributed to all health facilities “fairly and freely,” the Iraqi health ministry said.
Some European countries have suspended use of the Oxford-developed AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears. World Health Organization (WHO) and European regulators have said there is no evidence the vaccine causes adverse effects.
Barzani said his government is also continuing efforts to acquire more vaccines directly from suppliers.
First priority to receive the jab is healthcare workers, followed by security forces, the elderly, and the chronically ill.
