By Kwanta Douglas –
Rwanda has expanded its Covid-19 immunization program to all public bus stations in Kigali, the capital to urge more people to get immunized.
Vaccines are also available at all health centers around the country, and anybody over the age of 18 is eligible for vaccination.
Following two weeks of battling to reach a 93 percent Covid-19 immunization rate in Kigali, Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije stated the country moved to add vaccination stations.
“Thinking outside the box, the immunization steering group came up with a catch-up plan strategy to meet clients near Kigali bus stops. On Thursday, Dr. Daniel Ngamije tweeted, “The attendance is tremendous.”
Since the Wednesday launch of vaccination in bus stations, the number of people who have received a first dose increased from less than 68,000 people per day in the previous weeks to more than 239,000 people vaccinated in one day.
The ongoing vaccination campaign has seen over 5,227,250 people receive their first shot while 2,850,430 people are fully vaccinated.
“I had taken my first shot three weeks ago but because of busy studies, I had not found time to go for the second dose. I took it yesterday when I was going to travel. It was very convenient,” said Jeremy Dukundane, a university student who benefited from the campaign.
The current campaign is focused on ensuring residents get their second shots.
Rwanda has already surpassed the global WHO Africa target to inoculate 40 percent of the population with at least one dose. The country is now working to fully vaccinate 30 percent of its 12.9 million population or 3,870,000 people by December 2020.
The Ministry of Health recently confirmed that Rwanda is considering giving booster shots to people with suppressed immune systems such as the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.