Libya on Friday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from the Covax initiative at the Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli, reported Africa News.
The vaccine batch containing 57,000 doses will be used to inoculate people in priority groups, such as medical staff treating COVID-19 patients inside isolation units, followed by the elderly, those with chronic diseases, and then medical workers in different hospitals and medical centers.
The vaccination campaign will start during the middle or end of next week. The vaccines will be distributed to vaccination centers throughout the country on the basis of a distribution plan designed in coordination with the Libyan health authorities.
The Covax programme, which aims to guarantee vaccines are equally distributed across all the nations, said additional doses would be delivered this month.
“We are delighted that the first batch of Covax vaccines has arrived in Libya”, Libyan Health Minister Dr. Ali Al-Zinati said. “Libya is a self-financing participant in the Covax Facility. Altogether, we have ordered enough doses of vaccine to immunize at least around 1,374,200 people.”
He said additional doses are expected to be delivered as early as the end of this month.
Libya, which is home to around 7 million people, has reported more than 166,000 confirmed cases and 2,799 virus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.
“This is a great step forward for Libya”, said Elizabeth Hoff, the WHO Representative in Libya.
Hoff said while vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19, people must continue to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and avoid crowds for their safety. He said being vaccinated does not mean that people can throw caution to the wind and put themselves as well as others at risk.
On Sunday, Libya received 101,250 doses of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, provided by the United Arab Emirates.
