Wavel Ramkalawan, the president of the Seychelles, is the first African head of state to receive the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
The Seychelles president rolled up his sleeves last week and received the first dose of the vaccine in front of the local press, according to the Mail and Guardian. Ramkalawan’s willingness to take the vaccine kickstarts the national immunisation campaign, which aims to vaccinate at least 70% of its over-18 population.
The vaccination was made possible thanks to a generous donation of 50,000 doses of the vaccine to the country by the UAE, who acquired the vaccine from Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm.
While speaking to the press, president Ramkalawan said: ‘This is testimony of the excellent friendly ties that exist between the two nations that has been further consolidated through continuous support for the mutual benefit of both peoples.’
In addition to the donation of vaccines, the UAE Government is further supporting Seychelles in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, through the use of the Avani Resort, Barbarons as a quarantine facility at no cost to the Government, as well as through the donation of tents for the setup of Screening Stations at Health Centres in the country.
Seychelles is also scheduled to receive another 10,0 000 doses of the Oxford Astra-Zeneca towards the end of January, which will go along way in achieving herd immunity in the county’s population.
As of January 26 2021, Seychelles currently has 1,069 active COVID-19 cases with 738 recoveries. The country has also recorded 3 COVID-19 related deaths, according to World O Meters.
Picture
