Seychelles begins COVID immunisation campaign

The Seychelles on Sunday began its vaccination campaign against the new coronavirus. 

Health Minister Peggy Vidot made the announcement which makes Seychelles one of the first African countries to launch such an operation.

"The vaccination campaign will start on Sunday with the country's leaders, so the population will be able to see the leaders setting an example," Peggy Vidot explained.

The president of the archipelago, Wavel Ramkalawan, was among the first people vaccinated.

The vaccine used will be the Chinese vaccine developed by the public laboratory Sinopharm with its subsidiary China National Biotec Group (CNBG).

Seychelles received 50,000 doses, donated by the United Arab Emirates.

The entire population of the archipelago island nation is to be vaccinated on a voluntary basis.

The latest assessment shows that 420 people have been infected since the start of the pandemic, including one death, but this figure is constantly rising, with an average of more than 20 new infections per day.

After the country's leaders, the vaccination campaign will be extended on Monday to all medical personnel, then to people working in essential sectors, and then to people over 65 years old before finally reaching the rest of the population.

More than a thousand people are to be vaccinated every day.