Ethiopia has administered nearly 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine since the start of the third vaccination drive three days ago, according to the country’s Ministry of Health.
The three-day mass vaccinations alone drive has seen more than 5.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in the country, a COVID-19 update on Sunday shows.
The report also shows the total of fully vaccinated people has increased by more than 4.6 million to nearly 29.2 million since the launch of the third-round vaccine push.
The country, which offered the first vaccine to its citizens in March 2021, has administered 35.37 million doses of the vaccine, to date.
“I urge all 12 years and older, to take the vaccine and those who passed 6 months after vaccination to take a booster dose and protect themselves and the community,” said health minister Dr. Lia Tadesse.
More than 24 million doses of vaccine have already been distributed to health centers across the nation.
Tadess also cautioned the public to remain vigilant as “the COVID 19 pandemic is not yet over.”
Ethiopia recorded a combined total of 1,221 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday-Sunday, bringing the confirmed total to 478,963, according to a report by health officials.
At the same time, only 132 patients recovered from the acute respiratory disease.
The nation’s recovery count currently stands at 456,719.
No Covid-19 disease-related fatalities have been recorded on Saturday-Sunday as the death toll remains at 7,516.
There are now 14,726 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in the country.
At least 22 of them are in hospitals after they become severely sick, according to Sunday’s COVID-19 update.
The majority of severely sick patients admitted to hospitals are unvaccinated people, according to the ministry of health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, and vaccination is critical to control the pandemic. Vaccinated people have better immunity to fight the disease, are less likely to be hospitalized, and to die from the disease,” said the Health minister.
MG/as/APA