Rwanda to receive about half a million Covid vaccine doses from US
Wednesday August 18 2021
Health workers administer Covid-19 vaccines in Rwanda. The country expects 488,370 Pfizer vaccine doses from America to boost its Covid-19 vaccination plan. PHOTO | FILE | NMG
Rwanda this week expects 488,370 Pfizer vaccine doses from America to boost its Covid-19 vaccination plan.
This is part of a pledge by US President Joe Biden made at the last G7 Summit in the UK. The US aims to donate 500 million Covid vaccine doses worldwide.
According to Bloomberg, the US will ship the doses this week to Rwanda through Covax, the global vaccine-sharing initiative.
The shipment includes 188,730 doses that comprise the first instalment under an agreement Biden struck at the G7 meeting, and another 300,000 from surplus US government supplies, which Washington has been shipping off steadily.
The US will ship 200 million of the doses pledged at the summit by the end of this year, and 300 million by June of 2022.
Rwanda has so far vaccinated 10 percent of the 12.9 million population, with half of Kigali residents now inoculated. A mass vaccination campaign that kicked off on August 2 raised the number of fully vaccinated people from 460,000 to 898,745 in two weeks, according to the Ministry of Health.
The US pledge is expected to facilitate Rwanda’s plan to vaccinate 1.5 million people by September this year and 60 percent of the population by June 2022.
People who are vulnerable to the virus, such as the elderly and pregnant women, and people working in markets, malls, hotels, restaurants, public transport, and other public services have been prioritised. All frontline workers have been inoculated, according to the Ministry of Health.
Director-General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre Dr Sabin Nsanzimana said that as a result of mass vaccination, Covid-19 deaths and critical cases have reduced significantly in the past few weeks.
“Half of the Covid-19 deaths were recorded in people above the age of 60. During the last three weeks, numbers shifted. Deaths are now being recorded in districts with low vaccination rates,” Dr Nsanzimana said.
“We have received more Covid-19 vaccines in the past month than we have in the previous three months. We are receiving over 200,000 doses every Monday and we expect the number to rise.”
The vaccine is accessible at all health centres in the country, two designated sites in Kigali, and five private clinics.
The Ministry of Health has also mobilised a door-to-door vaccination to reach vulnerable people such as the elderly and people living with disabilities. Local leaders and community health workers help by locating the beneficiaries and collecting the necessary data.
Beneficiaries can also call a toll-free number or consult community health workers nearby to get the vaccine.
Still, Covid-19 measures remain in place, including an 8pm to 4am curfew, limited attendees at weddings, funerals, and meetings and 30 percent seating at restaurants and cafes. The measures will be in effect until September 1.