First batch of doses of Covax vaccine arrives in Rwanda

Rwandan health minister received this day first batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses from the UN-backed Covax distribution initiative.

The country received 240,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and with a further 102,960 doses of Pfizer vaccine expected to arrive later in the day, according to the health ministry.

Rwanda expects to receive the total of 1,098,960 doses of both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines.

Read also: At least ten killed in a plane crash in South Sudan

“Our target is to vaccinate 30% of our population by the end of 2021, and 60% by the end of 2022,” Health Minister Daniel Ngamije said.

Last month, the country started vaccinating “high risks groups” using the Pfizer vaccine “acquired through international partnerships in limited quantities”, the health ministry said.