عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Syria Begins COVID-19 Vaccinations with Healthcare Workers

A Syrian worker disinfects a street to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Damascus, Syria, August 3, 2020. (SANA via AP)
A Syrian worker disinfects a street to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Damascus, Syria, August 3, 2020. (SANA via AP)
TT
TT

Syria Begins COVID-19 Vaccinations with Healthcare Workers

A Syrian worker disinfects a street to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Damascus, Syria, August 3, 2020. (SANA via AP)
A Syrian worker disinfects a street to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Damascus, Syria, August 3, 2020. (SANA via AP)

Syria’s health ministry said on Monday it had started administering COVID-19 vaccinations to frontline healthcare workers.

“For the second day in a row COVID-19 vaccinations are being given to frontline healthcare workers that are working within coronavirus isolation centers across governorates,” a ministry statement said.

The statement did not make clear what type of vaccine Syria had acquired or the quantity.

Syria had said on Thursday it had received vaccinations from a “friendly country” that it did not name.

Health officials had said Syria was engaged with Russia and China on vaccines but no bilateral deals have been announced.

The health ministry detected a rise in infections recently, the statement said.

Syria had recorded 15,588 coronavirus cases with 1,027 deaths up to Sunday.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Syria’s Al-Sharaa Says No to Arms Outside State Control

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) arrives for a meeing with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) in Damascus on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, al-Sharaa said that his administration would not allow for arms outside the control of the state.

An official source told Reuters on Saturday that Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency that toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, had been named as defense minister in the interim government.
Sharaa did not mention the appointment of a new defense minister on Sunday.
Sharaa discussed the form military institutions would take during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA said.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said last week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former opposition factions and officers who defected from Assad's army.

Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s Druze leader Walid Jumblatt held talks with al-Sharaa in Damascus.

Jumblatt expressed hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations “will return to normal.”

“Syria was a source of concern and disturbance, and its interference in Lebanese affairs was negative,” al-Sharaa said, referring to the Assad government. “Syria will no longer be a case of negative interference in Lebanon," he added.