Syrian opposition gears up for coronavirus vaccine drive
The Syrian opposition's self-styled interim government is seeking to bring the coronavirus vaccine to a specific category of the population of northwestern Syria.
The Ministry of Health in the Syrian opposition's self-styled interim government announced July 10, 2020, the first COVID-19 case in northern Syria — a doctor who had recently returned from Turkish territory. After symptoms appeared, he isolated himself in Bab al-Hawa Hospital on the Turkish-Syrian border. The Ministry of Healthy then called for an emergency meeting of the coronavirus crisis unit in order to activate the emergency plan in the area.
In late 2020, the opposition’s Ministry of Health submitted an official request to the COVAX Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine and distribute it to the residents of northwestern Syria. As the region is expected to receive vaccines in late March, the concerned parties — namely WHO, UNICEF and the Syria vaccination team — are coordinating methods and drawing up plans to vaccinate residents while waiting for final approval from the COVAX platform.
