Kurdistan Region receives first doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – More than 43,000 doses of the Oxford and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in the Kurdistan Region on Friday after landing in Iraq’s capital a day earlier.

“I’m pleased to announce the arrival of a new batch of 43,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Baghdad today, which will be administered according to our group-based rollout plan,” Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani tweeted.

The AstraZeneca jab is the second coronavirus vaccine the Region has received, following the delivery of 5,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine which arrived in early March, marking the start of the vaccination process in the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

“This is also in line with our efforts to acquire more vaccines directly with suppliers,” Barzani said.

On Thursday, the Iraqi federal government received 336,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, delivered through the UN’s COVAX initiative which seeks to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries with limited ability to produce their own vaccines.

The first shots will be administered to people in priority groups – including security members, health care workers, and residents of the Region with underlying conditions – Health Minister Saman Barzinji said in a Friday press conference.

Residents can register themselves to receive the jabs through an online portal, the health minister said, adding the authorities later will assess applicants’ eligibility.

The AstraZeneca jabs are easier to handle during transportation than others which require ultra-low storage temperatures, which pose a challenge for undeveloped countries. 

The Kurdistan Region has so far officially recorded more than 117,000 cases of the novel coronavirus since early March 2020, including 3,600 deaths.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly