Algerian Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid announced that the country will receive 200,000 doses of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine and an additional 700,000 to 800,000 doses through the COVAX group by the end of February 2021. This announcement was made during a parliamentary session on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination strategy, organized by the National Council's Health, Social Affairs, Labor, and Solidarity Commission. The session was attended by interim Council President Salah Goudjil.
Benbouzid emphasized that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had fulfilled his promise to acquire the vaccine for Algerian citizens in January. The minister encouraged citizens to get vaccinated to return to normal life and urged media outlets and social partners to cooperate with the health sector in raising awareness about the importance of vaccination. He also mentioned that Algeria will receive 9 million doses of vaccine in April through the African Institute for Epidemic Prevention, part of the African Union.
Wahiba Hadjoudj, Director of Pharmacy and Medical Equipment at the Health Ministry, provided further details on the negotiations with various laboratories over the past year. She confirmed that Algeria has secured its quota of vaccines from multiple laboratories, acknowledging that no single country can obtain its entire quota from one laboratory due to high global demand.
Dr. Fawzi Derrar, Director-General of the Pasteur Institute, highlighted that vaccine acquisition was based on the recommendations of the Scientific Council. He assured that the vaccines meet the required health and safety standards.
Dr. Djamel Fourar, Director of Prevention and Health Promotion at the Health Ministry, presented the strategic plan for the vaccination campaign, which began in January. The plan includes a digital platform to monitor the campaign's progress nationwide, ensuring equitable distribution based on population density.
Fourar discussed scenarios to facilitate access to vaccines for targeted groups and achieve a 70% population coverage rate within a year. The goal is to halt community transmission and support the vaccination of 20 million citizens. He called on all actors to mobilize citizens and encourage vaccination to restore trust and dispel misinformation spread through social media.
The vaccination campaign aims to stop the chain of community transmission and ultimately achieve herd immunity. Algerian authorities are working to ensure a smooth vaccination process, with a focus on transparency and public awareness.
Key points
- Algeria will receive nearly one million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of February 2021.
- The country aims to vaccinate 20 million citizens within a year to achieve herd immunity.
- Algeria will receive additional vaccine doses through various partnerships, including COVAX and the African Institute for Epidemic Prevention.
