The Gambia is to receive 180,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in the first quarter of 2021.

Gambiana last month reported that The Gambia is expected to get its coronavirus doses in April as part of the WHO-backed COVAX vaccines to mitigate the far reaching consequences of the unequal distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

Health minister Dr Ahmadou Samateh told lawmakers that the country expects to receive its first batch of the COVAX vaccines.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organisation, as co-leads of the COVAX initiative for equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, said in a statement:

“The purpose of sharing the interim distribution with countries, even in today’s highly dynamic global supply environment, is to provide governments and health systems with the information they need to plan for their national vaccination programmes. 

“Final allocations will be published in due course.

“The interim distribution forecast outlines projected delivery of vaccine doses to all Facility participants, with the exception of participants who have either exercised their rights to opt-out, have not submitted vaccine requests, or have not yet been allocated doses.”

The interim distribution forecast is available here.