Iraq begins administering COVID-19 vaccines
The vaccination process is underway throughout the country ahead of Pope Francis' visit.
Iraq has begun administering vaccines against COVID-19. The campaign comes ahead of Pope Francis' visit and during a period of relatively high coronavirus cases.
The Ministry of Health started giving vaccine jabs in the capital, Baghdad, on Tuesday, according to a post on its Facebook page. Doses have arrived in several other provinces as well, including disputed Kirkuk in the north and Najaf in the south, according to the ministry.
Iraq began its vaccine campaign after receiving 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China on Monday night, Reuters reported.
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq received 5,000 doses of the shipment, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement sent to Al-Monitor.
