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GABONESE-PRESIDENT-VACCINE
Gabonese president gets first shot of China’s Sinopharm vaccine against
COVID-19
LIBREVILLE, March 24, 2021 (BSS/Xinhua) – Gabonese President Ali Bongo
Ondimba and his wife Sylvia Bongo Ondimba received their first dose of the
COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinopharm on Tuesday in Libreville, said a
press release from the Presidency.
“As he himself announced, the President of the Republic has been
vaccinated against COVID-19,” the release said.
The First Lady had also published on social media the photos taken during
her vaccination.
On Tuesday, Gabon’s Minister of Health Guy Patrick Obiang Ndong officially
launched the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19. The kick-off of
this campaign was made possible by a donation of Sinopharm’s vaccine to the
Gabonese people by China.
In a message to the nation on Monday evening, the Gabonese president
specified that the first phase of vaccination would mainly target health
personnel, the military and similar forces as well as vulnerable people.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was discovered in Gabon on March 12,
2020. In about one year’s time, Gabon has lost 108 people as a result of this
pandemic, according to the latest data published by the Africa Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/1526 hrs