East African Community members states are expected to receive some 39 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from the African Union, which has secured a deal to procure 270 million doses for all member states.

Rwanda has started rolling out the first phase of Covid-19 vaccination after receiving 1,000 doses of Moderna vaccine. High-risk groups, among them healthcare workers, will be prioritised.

The country’s Ministry of Health said on February 11 that the limited initial doses were “acquired through international partnership in limited quantities”. 

It, however, expects to receive at least 996,000 doses of AstraZeneca and 102,960 doses of the Pfizer vaccine between February and March from Covax and AU’s Africa Medical Supplies Platform.

The 270 million doses will be distributed through the Africa Medical Supplies Platform on behalf of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Neighbouring Burundi has said it does not need the vaccines.

Burundi’s Health minister Thaddee Ndikumana told reporters on February 4 that prevention is more important, and “since more than 95 per cent of patients are recovering, we estimate that the vaccines are not yet necessary.”

Burundi closed its land and water borders last month. It now has more than 1,820 confirmed coronavirus cases.

Tanzania says it has prayed Covid-19 away.

On February 8, Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima told a press conference in Dodoma, “the ministry has no plans to receive vaccines for Covid-19.”

On January 27, President John Magufuli warned the Health ministry against rushing to acquire Covid-19 vaccines, suggesting they may not be safe or effective.

“If the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, then vaccinations for Aids would have been brought, tuberculosis would be a thing of the past, vaccines for malaria and cancer would have been found,” Magufuli said in western Tanzania. By Eliud Kibii, The Star