AVAT is an initiative by the
Through the initiative,
Thursday's consignment was received by Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, Director General, Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) along with
Keita described the development as a momentous step forward in
"This will provide impetus to the fight against Covid-19 across the continent and will lay the basis for
By working together, and by pooling resources together, she was optimistic that African countries will progressively secure doses of vaccines, as opposed to the previous months.
Administering phase next
Nsanzimana said that Government will immediately administer the doses using the already available infrastructure.
He said that as soon as vaccines are received in the country, the plan is to kick off vaccination in areas with highest rates of infections.
"We are increasingly receiving doses, but our target has not been achieved so far. This requires us to do more as we plan to secure more and more."
Nsanzimana said that while over 1.5 million Rwandans have received their first dose, the government has only vaccinated 20 percent of its target.
The epidemiologist rallied Rwandans to participate in the ongoing vaccination campaign, citing various advantages attached to the
He said that first of all, as a single-shot vaccine, it is easier and cheaper to administer and that the vaccine has a longer shelf-life and favourable storage conditions.
The government plans to vaccinate 60 percent of its 12.9 million population (or 7.8 million people) by
And according to health practitioners, with the current pace of vaccination, 30 percent of the population, especially from urban areas, will be vaccinated by early 2022.
Copyright The New Times. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source