The south Asian country torn by decades-long war and violence which have devastated its healthcare infrastructure received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine developed by Serum Institute of India for poor countries.
According to Masooma Jafari, deputy spokesperson for Afghan Ministry of Public Health, 250,000 people will receive the inoculation after it gets approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
She said the vaccine has yet to be approved by UN’s health agency. But the inoculation process will begin after WHO gives emergency approval to the vaccine, with frontline health workers and those at high risk the first to get immunized.
The spokeswoman added that officials in the ministry negotiate with other vaccine supplying countries to help the country get access to anti-disease vaccines.
Citizens, however, say a transparent and regular immunization program should be carried out.
According to Health Ministry’s figures released Sunday, as many as 55,359 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 2,413 patients have died since the outbreak first entered Afghanistan.
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