News24
23 Feb 2021, 18:11 GMT+10
Senegal began its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Tuesday with 200 000 doses that it purchased from China's Sinopharm, which it received last week.
The first shots were given to government ministers and health workers at the health ministry in the capital, Dakar.
The West African country is one of the first in the region to start vaccinating its population against Covid-19. It has so far recorded over 33 099 cases and 814 deaths from the disease.
As a lower-middle income country, Senegal is eligible for about 1.3 million vaccine doses for free through the first wave of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Covax programme, but it is still waiting for them to arrive.
Earlier this month the government said it paid a little over 2 billion CFA francs ($3.74 million) for the Sinopharm doses to kickstart its campaign.
Senegal's health minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr said in a brief speech after receiving the vaccine that, as a sign of solidarity with other African nations, Senegal would give 10 000 doses each of the vaccine to smaller neighbours Gambia and Guinea Bissau.
Senegal aims to inoculate about 90% of a targeted 3.5 million people, including health workers and high-risk individuals between the ages of 19 and 60, by the end of 2021. The country's population is about 16 million.
Get a daily dose of Zimbabwe Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Zimbabwe Star.
More InformationIn the past month alone, 23 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza—three more than the number of remaining living hostages held...
LONDON, U.K.: At least 13 people are believed to have taken their own lives as a result of the U.K.'s Post Office scandal, in which...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: An elaborate impersonation scheme involving artificial intelligence targeted senior U.S. and foreign officials in...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Praveen Khandelwal criticised the comments made Punjab Chief Minister...
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): Ireland batter Peter Moor has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 35...
By Reena Bhardwaj Washington, DC [[US], July 11 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced that the US will...
Vancouver [Canada], July 11 (ANI): Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman called the attack on a cafe owned by comedian Kapil Sharma a...
KHARTOUM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- It was 2 p.m. in a displacement camp on the outskirts of Port Sudan, where the relentless sun had already...
The 17th BRICS summit was more than a photo op. It was a coordinated rejection of Western power and a declaration of intent A few...