The new plan will not include high-risk coronavirus patients such as the elderly and those who need medical attention The minister also said the government will set up epidemiological investigation centers in different governorates DUBAI: Some COVID-19 patients in Jordan will have to self-isolate if the country continues to record a rise in daily infections, in a new plan announced by State Minister for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh. Adaileh said this new plan will not include high-risk coronavirus patients such as the elderly and those who need medical attention, as well as those who have no means to self-isolate in their homes, as reported by state news agency Petra. The plan is still in the works, the minister said, adding it will depend on the increase of cases across the country. Medical teams will be formed to follow the case of self-isolating patients and provide necessary assistance. The minister also said the government will set up epidemiological investigation centers in different governorates and will offer testing for asymptomatic cases, including those who were in contact with confirmed patients. There will also be call centers tasked with informing people of their test results. Meanwhile, spokesperson of the National Epidemiological Committee Natheer Obeidat, dismissed the herd immunity approach and said the only ethical way to deal with the virus is through proper immunization with a vaccine. Obeidat, who was speaking at a press conference in Amman, said the country was experiencing a “societal spread” of infections, which is a pandemic phase characterized by the inability of authorities to trace cases. “Societal immunity, or as some call it herd immunity, develops in patients through allowing a large percentage of the citizens within a certain country to become infected, which is a percentage determined by the spread factor of any pandemic,” he explained. The spokesperson said the country should enhance the abilities of health authorities to identify and track cases to address the continuous spread of the disease.