(Ecofin Agency) - Ethiopia received its first batch of Covid-19 vaccines as part of the Covax initiative led by the World Health Organization. In an official statement issued on March 5, the authorities said 2.2 million doses of vaccines should arrive in the country on March 7.

“The ministry is making detailed plans and preparation for the introduction of this COVID-19 vaccine to prioritized population groups in a phase-based approach

The vaccination program will be launched in the coming few weeks,” the health ministry said in a tweet.

Under the Covax program, the World Health Organization plans to provide poor countries with 2 billion doses of vaccines in the upcoming months. The rollout phase suffered a delay that slowed down vaccination campaigns in Africa, but since the delivery of the first doses to Ghana on February 24, the implementation process has been gradually advancing.

Overall, Ethiopia is seeking 9 million doses of vaccine for 20% of its population. According to the latest figures from Africa CDC, the country has to date 164,073 confirmed cases of the virus, with 2,404 deaths and 137,431 recoveries.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou