Mauritius has received 108,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
Development Diaries reports that the delivery of the doses is part of the historic Covid-19 vaccine advance procurement agreement signed by AVAT for the purchase of 220 million doses of the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.
AVAT was launched by the African Union (AU) to secure Covid-19 vaccines for its member states and attain a target immunisation of 60 percent of Africa’s population.
The 400 million vaccines acquired by AVAT are sufficient to immunise a third of the African population, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC).
‘This is a proud moment for the continent; the vaccines, partly manufactured in South Africa, are a true testament that local production and pooled procurement as envisioned in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) are key to the attainment of a more sustainable post-Covid economic recovery across the continent’, Africa CDC quoted the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Dr Vera Songwe, as saying.
The agreement with Johnson and Johnson was made possible through a $2billion facility provided by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), supported by the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), is providing logistical and delivery services to the 55 AU member states.
Mauritius commenced its national vaccination programme on 26 January, 2021, with the vaccination of front line workers, namely, health workers, supermarket and transport employees, hotel employees as well as people living with comorbidities.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Laurent Musango, explained in June 2021 that 413,473 people had already received the first dose of vaccine against Covid-19.
He said that the country had so far succeeded in controlling and preventing Covid-19 through implementation of the WHO pieces of advice and guidelines.
Source: Africa CDC
Photo source: Africa CDC
