The Federal Ministry of Health said on Sunday that it has selected 60 centers at hospitals around the country from which to distribute Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine.
The ministry's director of public health, Riyadh Abdul Amir al-Halfi, said that the vaccine will only be administered to patients at public hospitals and not at neighborhood health centers. The plan includes all governorates.
The number of distribution centers will be increased when necessary, he added.
On December 21, 2020, Iraq announced it had signed a contract with Pfizer to purchase the pharmaceutical giant's coronavirus vaccine. Frontline health workers, members of the security forces, and other high-risk groups will be among the first to receive doses of the vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine requires it to be stored at super cold temperatures, which has prompted worries about its use in countries with limited infrastructure. Iraq suffers from chronic problems with its electricity supply.
According to the health ministry, there have been 602,331 cases of coronavirus across Iraq since the disease first appeared in the country last year. Some 554,990 patients have recovered from COVID-19 and a total of 12,881 people have died from it as of Saturday.
The ministry's director of public health, Riyadh Abdul Amir al-Halfi, said that the vaccine will only be administered to patients at public hospitals and not at neighborhood health centers. The plan includes all governorates.
The number of distribution centers will be increased when necessary, he added.
On December 21, 2020, Iraq announced it had signed a contract with Pfizer to purchase the pharmaceutical giant's coronavirus vaccine. Frontline health workers, members of the security forces, and other high-risk groups will be among the first to receive doses of the vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine requires it to be stored at super cold temperatures, which has prompted worries about its use in countries with limited infrastructure. Iraq suffers from chronic problems with its electricity supply.
According to the health ministry, there have been 602,331 cases of coronavirus across Iraq since the disease first appeared in the country last year. Some 554,990 patients have recovered from COVID-19 and a total of 12,881 people have died from it as of Saturday.
