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SEYCHELLES – The Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean began vaccinating its population against the coronavirus on Sunday, the first African nation to do so.
The country’s president, Wavel Ramkalawan, was the first to receive the jab, an event broadcast live on television at a hospital in the capital Victoria. Several dozen other public figures joined him.
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“It’s exactly like they are giving me any vaccine,” he said, encouraging everyone in the island nation to get the injection.
The country is using the Chinese vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm with its subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
Health Minister Peggy Vidot said Thursday that the country had received a donation of 50,000 doses of the vaccine from the United Arab Emirates.
Health workers will start getting vaccinated on Monday, and then people over 65, followed by distribution to the rest of the population.
Seychelles hopes to vaccinate 70 percent of its population in two to three months, at a rate of 1,000 per day.
The archipelago of 115 islands and islets, mostly uninhabited, has a population of 98,000, and initially appeared to have averted the pandemic, initiating a rapid shutdown in April last year that lifted a month later with only 11 registered cases.
However, cases have risen since December, with a total of 508 registered, one of which was fatal.
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The number of daily cases is increasing, with 57 registered on Saturday.
Ramkalawan said the country also awaited delivery by the end of January of another 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine, a donation from the Indian government.
