By Abba Gwale
Guinea Conakry is leading African countries in commencing mass COVID-19 vaccinations using Sputnik vaccine produced by a Russian company.
The vaccination started with government officials who were the first to receive the Sputnik V vaccine at the country’s vaccination centre in the capital city, Conakry.
The Director-General of the Guinea’s Health Security Agency, Dr. Sakoba Keita, outlined how the process of mass vaccination will roll out.
“We have ordered 2 million doses (from Russia) to be able to vaccinate vulnerable people and we have also placed orders in the People’s Republic of China, all that in order to show the commitment of the government to go onto the offensive to use this latest strategy that served us well during the Ebola (outbreak).”
After the pilot phase, Guinea will then determine how to scale up the vaccination programme to other regions of the country.
Russia’s Sputnik vaccine has been criticised for lack of rigirous clinical trial data that would ensure its efficacy and safety.
The vaccine was authorised in August by the regulator in Moscow, after reviewing data of a trial in only 100 participants.
