Senegal received first batch of sinopharm covid vaccine

In order to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, Senegal has received 200,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Chinese company Sinopharm.

President Macky Sall said the government bought the vaccine, and did not wait to receive doses from the World Health Organization’s Covax scheme, which aims to make it easier for developing nations to buy them.

Frontline health workers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are first in line for the shot.

Mr Sall said that Senegal aimed to get another 6.5 million doses in the coming weeks to widen its vaccination campaign.

Senegal has seen a spike in Covid cases and deaths in recent weeks. To date, the country has recorded 31,771 confirmed cases and 769 deaths.

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To curb the second wave, the authorities have tightened restrictions, including banning gatherings, requiring people to wear masks in public places and imposing a curfew from 21:00 to 05:00 in the hardest hit areas – the capital, Dakar, and the city of Thies.