Press release from the Ministry of health on the second national Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
Today's press release highlights the ongoing second national Covid-19 vaccination campaign
in our country.
As you know, Covid-19 has been causing social, economic, psychological and other related problems in various countries, including our country, since its inception as a global pandemic. Countries have taken various steps to curb the pandemic and are still doing so. Although the prevention and control measures taken in Ethiopia were effective, they have not yet been able to fully contain the pandemic.
To date, more than 468,000 people have been infected in the country and 7,473 of our people have lost their lives. This number shows that the virus is still a great public health concern. Therefore, we must not lose sight of the fact that in our day-to-day life, we need to take precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
Recently, vaccines, which are widely regarded as having a significant impact on the global protection of Covid-19, are being introduced in countries around the world, including our own. These vaccines are scientifically proven to be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of the disease, as well as controlling the pandemic.
In our country, 20,837,740 people have been vaccinated since the Covid-19 vaccines were made available on March 13, 2021. More than 17 million (17,130,036) people have been fully vaccinated and more than 192,148 have received the booster dose. Over all, more than 25 million vaccines have been used.
As you know, the first round of Covid-19 vaccination campaign was carried out nationally, which made Ethiopia the first African country to hold a national vaccination campaign. During the campaign, more than 5.5 million people were vaccinated against the Covid.
Using the experiences gained in the first round as a basic foundation, the second round of Covid-19 vaccination campaign has been fully prepared and launched nationwide since February 14, 2022. The aim of the campaign is to vaccinate many people and protect them from the disease and prevent further deaths.
During the second round of the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign,
- More than 20 million vaccines were prepared and distributed to all regions.
- Awareness and mobilization activities have been carried out in various medias to create awareness and correct misconceptions in the society.
- Mobilizers have been engaged in the community to mobilize the public.
- Collaborative efforts are continued in order to intensify media operations and mobilization.
- Many professionals who support and monitor the vaccination process are engaged in all regions and are providing the necessary support.
- Various works have been done to increase cooperation and participation with relevant sector offices and religious institutions.
As a result, more than 14 million people have been vaccinated in the second round of the national vaccination campaign. This is 72.7 percent (14,192,186); with more than 10.6 million J&J vaccines, SinoPharm 2.7 million vaccines, and Pfizer more than 830,000 vaccines.
Of those vaccinated in the second round, more than 11 million three hundred thousand received the first dose, more than 2 million five hundred thousand received the second dose, and 187,881 received the booster doses.
In total, more than 14 million vaccines were administered during the second round of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, of which 6,720,731 (47%) were to women and 7,471,455 (53%) were to men.
Furthermore, in the second round of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, Amhara and Afar regions, where the vaccine was not given in the first round, were vaccinated in this round.
We recommend that you be vaccinated at health facilities and temporary vaccination centers as the vaccine helps to stop the spread of the disease and reduce the risk of sever illness and death from the virus.
Finally, we call on all sectors of the community, stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental organizations and religious institutions to pay special attention to the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic and to make the vaccination program a success.
Thank you!
Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
February, 2014