The World Health Organization revealed the refusal of the Houthi rebel militia to implement a joint plan for vaccinating medical staff against the novel coronavirus in areas under militia control. The WHO representative in Yemen, Adham Abdulmoneim, stated that the Houthis initially agreed to accept 10,000 vaccine doses under pressure, but delivery became impossible after they imposed conditions for distributing the vaccines without the organization’s oversight.
During a video seminar with Yemeni doctors on Friday evening, the UN official noted that the Houthi authority subsequently requested only 1,000 doses, intended for 500 doctors, to be administered under their supervision at the Ministry of Health.
Abdulmoneim expressed surprise at this conduct from the Houthi authorities in Sana'a, describing it as "strange and unjustified," as reported by the "Yemeni Doctors in Exile" page.
In late March, Yemen's legitimate government health ministry received 360,000 doses of the British AstraZeneca vaccine as a first batch through the WHO's COVAX program. Last Tuesday, the Yemeni health ministry launched a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the temporary capital, Aden, starting with front-line health workers and those most at risk of infection.
The vaccination campaign will take place in 133 districts across 13 Yemeni governorates, with 10,000 doses to be supplied to health facilities under Houthi control through the WHO, which will oversee the campaign there.
Earlier, Yemen's Deputy Minister of Health, Ali Al-Walidi, confirmed that Yemen will receive 1.6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses next month, and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center will work with the WHO to provide 50% of the vaccines expected to total 12 million doses by the end of this year.
