Burkina Faso gets first batch of coronavirus vaccine

• Burkina Faso has received the coronavirus vaccine for the first time

• It was funded by the international Covax scheme to help the poor West African state to launch a vaccination drive

• The country initially intended to vaccinate 3% of its population

Burkina Faso has finally received the first batch of 115,200 doses of coronavirus vaccines, funded by the international Covax scheme to help the poor West African state to launch a vaccination drive on Wednesday, June 2.

As the consignment arrived at Ouagadougou airport late Sunday, the Burkinabe Health Minister, Charlemagne Ouedraogo said, “We welcome the first doses of vaccine against Covid-19 in Burkina Faso."

“Thanks to scientific progress, we now have another arsenal for the fight” against Covid, Ouedraogo added.

The nationwide drive set to begin Wednesday will target people most at risk, Ouedraogo told AFP.

The health ministry said in addition to the vulnerable, the first phase would target health workers and “candidates for the pilgrimage to Mecca”.

Co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Covax programme aims to ensure equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.

It brings UN agencies including the World Health Organization and the UN children’s agency UNICEF together with sovereign donors and the private sector to provide low-income countries with significant supplies regardless of their ability to pay.

Burkina Faso initially intends to vaccinate three per cent of a population estimated at more than 20 million.

Eventually, a total of nearly 10 million Burkinabes are expected to get jabs.

Burkina Faso, which has reported 13,430 coronavirus cases and 166 deaths, is one of few nations in West Africa that has yet to launch a vaccination drive.