Deputy Speaker of the House Eli Al-Franjieh clarified that "26 MPs were contacted to receive the COVID vaccine as they are over the age of 70." He revealed that 11 MPs who were vaccinated yesterday in the House of Representatives are aged 70 and above. He noted that the remaining MPs were vaccinated in hospitals prior to this.
Al-Franjieh explained in a press conference from the House today that he asked "MP Ayoub Hamid, who was present at the committee session, to go and take the vaccine." He mentioned that Hamid was refused vaccination by the committee because he did not meet the required specifications, as he is 66 years old and under 70. He denied that any former MPs were contacted, stating, "Rather, he called to ask about his compensation, and I refuse to mention names." Al-Franjieh questioned where the mistake lies in the MPs receiving the vaccine after they were contacted by the staff to do so in coordination with the Ministry of Health. He pointed out that "25 MPs and 25 staff have contracted COVID, and four MPs contracted it during meetings."
The head of the vaccination committee, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bizri, stated after the news spread about the vaccination of several MPs, "This is a violation that cannot be tolerated, and a true statesman waits his turn like any citizen." He added, "I will announce my resignation from the National COVID Vaccination Committee following the vaccination of several MPs without our consent," considering what happened in the House of Representatives as a breach that cannot be ignored and "an attempt to discriminate against a certain group of people we respect and value, but when we ask citizens to go to vaccination centers, discrimination is unacceptable."
