By Dolapo Aina
Rwanda has fully vaccinated ten percent of its population against COVID19, reaching the September 2021 global target set by the World Health Organization which is aimed at widening vaccination and aiding to mitigate and curtail the spread of the corona virus pandemic.
Dr Salla Ndoungou Ba, World Health Organisation’s Representative in Rwanda made this statement and stated in her own words; “Rwanda has been a model of good practice in the region since the beginning of its vaccination programme in March 2021. I congratulate the Government of Rwanda and its partners for their sustained effort to protect the people of Rwanda against COVID-19.”
In May 2021, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, set the global target of ten percent of the populations of all countries to be vaccinated by the end of September 2021; forty percent by the end of December 2021; and seventy percent by middle of the year 2022. According to the WHO; “The global targets have been set to reach critical milestones in countries’ COVID-19 vaccine responses. Ten percent of the population inoculated/vaccinated should offer protection to the most vulnerable; forty percent should keep priority populations such as health care workers, older people, and people with comorbidities safe. Whilst seventy percent will reopen societies and economies. Furthermore, it is only fourteen countries on the African Continent who have achieved the first target and three countries have achieved forty percent target.
Figures gathered reveal that Rwanda has received circa 3.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 1.1 million of these vaccines came from COVAX Facility, one hundred and eight thousand doses from the Africa Centres for Disease Control’s Africa Vaccine Acquisition Trust; and 2.1 million from bilateral agreements. And ff these, it has administered 3.3 million doses; thereby fully vaccinating ten percent of the country’s thirteen million people.
In a related development, the cabinet meeting which was held on 21st September 2021, reviewed existing health measures to contain the covid19 and new measures which included prohibited movements in the city of Kigali between 11pm to 4am were approved.
