Addis Ababa April 27, 2021 (FBC) – Ethiopia will launch the second-round of rolling out the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the upcoming months, Ministry of Health says.
As COVID-19 in Ethiopia has been consistently on the rise and triggering calls for more robust measures to halt spread of the virus, the government is taking various measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic, it was indicated.
Following the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Ethiopia in March 2020, the Government of Ethiopia took several public health measures and protocols to prevent increased levels of infection.
Despite the government’s ongoing interventions and protocols, the AstraZeneca Sino Farm vaccines are being given which have been licensed by Ethiopian Food and Drug Administration (EFDA).
Currently, some priority groups are receiving the vaccine and according to the Ministry of Health, 470,000 people have so far been vaccinated in the first-round of vaccination program.
Health State Minister, Saharala Abdullahi recently told ENA that preparations are currently underway to launch a second round of COVID-19 immunization program.
According to her, “It is expected that 5.5 million doses of vaccine will be received from donor countries.”
There is plan to import 20 million vaccines to Ethiopia until the upcoming November 2021.
Saharala noted there is a perception that the AstraZeneca vaccine has been linked to blood clots and other health problems, indicating that there is no health problem among those who have been vaccinated in Ethiopia.
In this regard, the vaccine is currently being given as priority to health professionals identified by way of vulnerability, citizens over the age of 65 and people between the ages of 50 and 60 with co-morbidities.
Currently, Ethiopia’s COVID-19 toll stood at 252,279 confirmed cases with total death of 3,551 and 1010 severe cases.