Algeria hopes to inoculate 60 percent of residents against COVID-19 in the most affected and populous provinces, according to a presidential statement on Sunday.
“President Abdelmadjid Tebboune gave instructions to speed up the pace of vaccination, especially in the most affected provinces to achieve herd immunity,” said a statement after a cabinet meeting.
Authorities are hoping to vaccinate 60 percent of the targeted provinces, which include the capital, Algiers, in addition to Oran, Setif and Constantine. They boast some 5.5 million out of Algeria’s population of 44 million.
Over 4 million people have already received the vaccine, but less than a million have received two doses. Authorities have picked up the pace of inoculation in the past two weeks, with jabs being administered to 200,000 people per day.
President of the National Agency for Health Security, Prof. Kamel Senhadji said authorities need to vaccinate 400,000 people per day to reach 50 percent herd immunity by fall.
Tebboune said Sunday that the Algeria will soon begin producing the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, either in September or October. The production of the Russian Sputnik shot will likely be delayed to the end of the year.
He also ordered a wage hike for doctors and nurses, effective as soon as possible.
He ordered raising the production of oxygen from 360,000 to 470,000 liters and the import of 100,000 liters every two days to address sharp shortages that have been reported in the past three weeks.
