A senior official at the Ministry of Health has ruled out conspiracy theories about the coronavirus vaccine and urged the public to go for vaccination.

Dr Mustapha Bittaye said The Gambia has ordered a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine as part of the World Health Organisation-backed COVAX vaccine scheme for developing countries. 

“We have been hearing lot of stories and different explanation. The vaccines are very good and they have been tested and they are being used by other countries. 

“We will not even have enough at the beginning…so that’s [why] we’ve to try to mitigate the spread of the [coronavirus] disease,” he said.

The Gambia is expected to receive its first batch of the coronavirus vaccines in April. At least 135 people have died of coronavirus since March 2020, and about 4,302 people infected. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba