SULAIMANI (ESTA) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Nadhim Zahawi as the minister responsible for coronavirus vaccine deployment, Downing Street said on Saturday.
Zahawi, a British Conservative Party politician of Kurdish descent, will report to health minister Matt Hancock in his new role, according to Reuters.
“The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Nadhim Zahawi MP as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care,” Downing Street said in a statement.
The new arrangement was temporary although Zahawi, who already serves as a business minister, will keep some of his business responsibilities, Johnson’s office said.
Zahawi, 53, was born in Baghdad to Kurdish parents. He and his family fled to Britain from Iraq in 1976, during Saddam Hussein’s early years in power.
The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine – enough to vaccinate most of the population. It also has orders for 40 million doses of the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been shown to be 95%, and five million doses from U.S. firm Moderna which trials suggest is 95% effective.
