Authorities in Senegal say fighting misinformation and Covid-19 vaccination reluctance will be key in the campaign launched on Tuesday.
Senegal’s Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr was first in line to be vaccinated and said he wanted to serve as an example and reassure the public on the safety of the vaccines.
The country purchased its first 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm.
Frontline health workers and vulnerable groups will be prioritized in the vaccination across different parts of the country.
Health experts say the challenge of identifying people with underlying health conditions must be tackled quickly especially since medical records are not necessarily digitized.
The West African nation is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases despite restrictive measures and a curfew. Last week saw the total number of Senegal’s coronavirus-related deaths reach 800
