Somalia will receive 1.2M free COVID-19 vaccine doses this February, according to the World Health Organization.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Somalia, Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik told VOA that Somalia will receive 1.2 million doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.
The vaccine is a combination of first and second hand and will be given to 600,000 Somalis.
Dr. Mamunur Rahman Malik also said that in March and April they will receive another vaccine for 20% of the Somali population.
Vaccines for 20% of the Somali population are free, provided by the Covax Center, a joint venture between the World Health Organization and GAVI. The center is funded by the European Union.
However, the government has to foot the cost to buy vaccine to immunize 80% of the Somali population.
WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank are said to be assisting the government in securing the funding.
The 1.2 million vaccine will be used on health, municipal and frontline workers and will cover 3% of the country’s population.
