Lome | Togo received its first batch of 156,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines against COVID-19 on Sunday evening, thanks to the Covax device created by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the benefit of the poorest countries.
This batch of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine was received at Lomé airport by the Togolese Minister of Health Moustafa Mijiyawa, in the presence in particular of representatives of the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and diplomats accredited to Togo.
“We have just received 156,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. As of Monday, we will proceed with the delivery of these vaccines to the different regions of the country. The vaccination will start on Thursday or Friday, ”the Minister of Health told reporters.
“This first batch of vaccines will be intended for health personnel and people over 50 in Lomé,” Mijiyawa said.
“We are at a phase where the number of cases is increasing, especially in Lomé. The number of cases recorded in the past two months is far greater than the number of cases recorded in the first ten months, ”he added.
According to the WHO representative in Togo, the arrival of this first batch of vaccines “constitutes a big step in the response to the pandemic, especially given the increasingly worrying situation in Togo since January 2021”.
“WHO will continue to support countries, so that all the necessary doses of vaccines are made available to countries and that vaccination is effective as soon as possible,” said Dr. Fatoumata Binta Diallo.
Togo, which recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus on March 6, 2020, has recorded 7,570 cases and 92 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to official figures released on Sunday evening.
The numbers could be much larger, however, given the limited testing in the country.