A total of 606,700 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine have arrived at Khartoum International Airport.
The vaccines were donated by the United States through the COVAX Facility dose-sharing mechanism.
Minister of Health Dr. Omar al-Naguib accompanied by United States Chargé d’Affaires Brian Shukan and several representatives from the WHO and UNICEF received the shipment.
Najeeb hailed his US counterpart and the representatives from the UNICED and WHO for helping Sudan fight the pandemic.
He stressed that J&J is secure; it is a single dose that grants high immunity.
“The United States is committed to fighting the pandemic worldwide using the power of democracy, the ingenuity of American scientists, and the strength of American manufacturing.
“We are providing this vaccine with the singular objective of saving lives,” Shukan said.
The biggest amount of the vaccines would be allocated to the Red Sea state, Najeeb added.
Sudan's minister of health hoped that this would stem the spread of the pandemic in the Red Sea.
He further urged citizens to abide by the preventative precautions through wearing facemasks and maintaining physical distancing.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sudan has registered 37,138 coronavirus cases, with 2,776 total deaths and 30,867 recoveries.
It has received more than 800,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
