Guinea Conakry unable to meet demand for coronavirus vaccine

Guinea has a stockpile of vaccines against covid-19 that does not meet the current demand of people determined to finally be vaccinated, a source close to the National Health Security Agency (ANSS) told PANA.

The same source said that the available stock will be reserved for people who have taken the first dose of the vaccine.

The ANSS, which launched the national vaccination campaign against the global pandemic more than three months ago, aimed to vaccinate at least 45 percent of the population before the end of this June and more than 2,000,000 people, within two years.

Russian, Sputnik V, Chinese, Synopharm, and AstraZeneca vaccines are being used to ensure that as many people as possible are vaccinated.

The government recently announced that it had ordered nearly 2,000,000 doses of Johnson-Johnson vaccine, with a view to vaccinate the largest number of people in the country, namely the capital city, Conakry, considered the epicentre of the disease in the country, and where the first case was discovered on March 12, 2020.

This vaccine, administered in a single dose, is expected at the end of next August, according to the same source.

Five hundred and sixteen thousand people have taken at least one dose, while another 386,000 have taken both.

The Government has recently authorized cultural ceremonies and events subject to respect for protective measures.