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WHO gears up support to countries holding mass gatherings in the Eastern Mediterranean
Cairo, Egypt, 21 March 2021- WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean is working with countries to safely prepare for mass gathering events in 2021 as part of its ongoing support to strengthen national capacities for prevention, detection, and response to the public health events, including COVID-19. “Especially in the context of...
COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in the Eastern Mediterranean Region amid continued upsurge in cases
21 March 2020, Cairo, Egypt – As COVID-19 continues to take toll on people’s lives in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, vaccines delivered through the COVAX Facility have arrived in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Jordan, the occupied Palestinian territory, Tunisia, Somalia, and Sudan with a total of more than 1.9 million doses delivered. The coming days will mark...
Tunisia receives first batch of COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX Facility
Tunis, 17 March 2021 – Tunisia received today the first batch of 93 600 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility. This delivery is part of a first wave of arrivals that will continue during the year, with the goal of vaccinating 20% of the population in Tunisia. “This shipment represents an important step in the fight...
Regional ministerial working group highlights achievements and challenges as vaccines start rolling out in the Region
16 March 2020, Cairo, Egypt – WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean held its first ministerial meeting of 2021 with 13 out of 22 ministers of health and WHO representatives in the Region. The meeting, led by WHO Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, focused on reviewing the COVID-19 situation, response, and achievements at country level,...
Regional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaks holds inaugural meeting
Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population H.E Dr Hala Zayed, who was elected as co-chair, making her interventions during the inaugural meeting Cairo, 16 March 2021 – The inaugural meeting of the Regional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaks was convened today by WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ahmed...
Webinar on the report of the Regional Commission on Social Determinants of Health: building back fairer
16 March 2021 – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean will be organizing a webinar to launch the Report of the Regional Commission on Social Determinants of Health on Wednesday, 31March 2021 at 11:00-13:00 (Cairo time, UTC+2). In this webinar, the Report of the Commission "Build back fairer: achieving health equity in the Eastern...
Statement by WHO's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on the 10th year of the Syria crisis
15 March 2021 – Exactly 10 years after the conflict in Syria began, new challenges have emerged, perpetuating the suffering of Syrian people already exhausted by the ongoing conflict, violence, political fragility, and the burden of unmet socioeconomic needs. COVID-19 and the regional economic crisis have brought further devastation to...
Canada and WHO join efforts to strengthen newborn health in Tunisia in the context of COVID-19
Tunisia, 15 March 2021 – With support from the Government of Canada, WHO is working to strengthen newborn health care in Tunisia as part of its ongoing work in the area of reproductive health. This critical support of 500 000 Canadian dollars will boost efforts to strengthen capacity-building for health workers using specialized medical equipment for...
First shipment of European Union-funded COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX Facility arrives in Jordan
Amman, 13 March 2021 – On 12 March, Jordan received the first shipment of 144 000 doses of the AstraZeneca/SK Bioscience COVID-19 vaccine from COVAX Facility at Queen Alia International Airport, in Amman. COVAX is a global facility representing partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi- the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the...
First COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Djibouti
Djibouti second country in the Middle East and North Africa region to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility Djibouti 6 March 2021 – Djibouti is the second country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, to receive vaccines against COVID-19 following the arrival of a first shipment of AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India...
