Rwanda has received one million Covid-19 vaccines from the government of Sweden, a move said to boost the country’s vaccination campaign. The Moderna jabs were received by Tharcisse Mpunga, Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare at the Ministry of Health from the Ambassador of Sweden to Rwanda, Johanna Teague. Minister Mpunga, after a handover ceremony held in the Special Economic Zone, told the media that the doses come at a critical moment where the government of Rwanda is working to achieve the global target of vaccinating 70 percent of its population by the end of 2022. “It comes at a time when we are celebrating the achievement of 30 percent of our population who are fully vaccinated, this is a great achievement. That has only been possible through various frameworks and partnerships,” he said. Ambassador Teague highlighted the importance of vaccine sharing at a time the current inefficient and unequal distribution of vaccines on a global stage is “deeply worrying.” “We salute the resolute and effective response by the Rwandan government to the pandemic, one of the reasons to why we chose Rwanda in addition to our strong relations,” she added, “At least we know that the vaccines will be used in an efficient way based on need.” Teague said she was convinced that Rwanda has shown an incredible commitment and efficiency in vaccinating her population. “So I commend the leadership and the great efforts not only in coming together to speed up the vaccinations in Rwanda, but also when it comes to establishing a hub for vaccine production” “Rwanda has come far in reaching the population, I am convinced that your pace and your success of vaccine administration will continue,’ she added. Besides Rwanda being the first country to benefit from a bilateral donation from her government, Teague highlighted that Sweden has so far provided almost $300 million dollars to Covax, making it the world’s leading Covax contributor per capita. Commenting on future collaboration between the two countries, Mpunga appealed to the Swedish ambassador for support especially in the capacity building and training of Rwandans to establish the anticipated vaccine hub. “We hope this is a start of broader collaboration in terms of the health sector and even beyond, we believe we will also have a discussion around vaccine manufacturing in the country, already you have expertise in this field,” “Mpunga said. To this, the envoy responded; “Count on us there.” Rwanda Biomedical Center staff shows visitors how vaccines are stored in the cold room. Craish Bahizi
