The Vanuatu Ministry of Health has achieved a milestone of administering 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to the eligible population.
The doses were the first batch of the vaccine that was ordered by the Government through the COVAX facility.
The vaccine arrived in April and the vaccination roll out began on 2 June.
The Government has ordered over 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that will be arriving in batches due to a high global demand.
The Ministry of Health said it is committed to ensure all AstraZeneca vaccine doses are used before the expiry date of 31 August.
Since the beginning of the vaccine rollout on 2 June, the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered to priority groups in Port Vila and rural communities on Efate and offshores islands.
The vaccination programme targeted the initial priority groups, including healthcare workers, other frontline workers, the elderly, those with co-morbidities and eventually opening up to all 18 years and above.
To date 8 percent of Vanuatu’s total population has been vaccinated with the 24,000 doses as part of the vaccination campaign currently ongoing in Shefa Province and soon to be rolled out on Sanma in August as per government plans.
There are ongoing bilateral discussions with countries to support donating vaccines outside of the COVAX Facility, such as, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Serbia, as confirmed by the Director Public Health, Len Tarivonda.
To ensure safe and equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine and the success of the vaccination campaign, the support from different partners is crucial in making sure vaccine coverage is widely covered in Vanuatu.
Currently in Vanuatu, two COVID-19 vaccines are being administered, namely the AstraZeneca and the Sinopharm vaccine. People have the opportunity to choose which vaccine they would like to receive.
This week, the Ministry of Health kicked off its mobile vaccination campaign targeting different villages on Efate. These include Mele, Melemaat, Erakor, Pango, Eratap, Erakor and Eton. Data collected by the Ministry demonstrates low COVID[1]19 vaccine coverage in these areas. People are encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccine while the vaccination team is in their communities.
The Ministry of Health said it aims to vaccinate as many of the eligible population as possible to ensure individuals, families, and communities are protected from COVID19.
Photo supplied (file) Caption: Opposition leader, Ralph Regenvanu (MP) receives the first jab of AstraZeneca in 2 June 2021.