Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Just one year after the Coronavirus pandemic in the country, the government of Afghanistan started vaccination drive on Tuesday.
The campaign began after India donated 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Afghanistan which will be enough for 250,000 people.
President Ashraf Ghani said at the beginning of the campaign that Coronavirus is shaking the world, but claimed that Afghanistan properly managed it.
He said that Afghanistan remained safe from economic and social damages of the disease.
Ghani said that half of Afghanistan’s population would be immunized in the second stage of the vaccination.
“I call on all the people of Afghanistan to cooperate for a just vaccination based on health instructors. We are working to cover 40 to 45 percent of the population at the second stage,” the president said.
He thanked India for donating the vaccines, calling it always a strategic partner to Afghanistan.
Wahid Majroh, acting public health minister, said that they would vaccinate defense and security forces, health workers and journalists in the first round of campaign.
“There is more competition to receive anti-corona vaccines than to gain foodstuff and weaponries, but Afghanistan received it despite problems and limited sources,” he said.
Indian Ambassador to Kabul, Rudrendra Tandon, assured that New Delhi would not leave Afghanistan alone in struggle against Coronavirus.
He said that the Indian-made vaccine was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and India was among the pioneers in vaccine producing.
Around 55,000 Afghans have been infected with the coronavirus since its pandemic last year and 2,400 ones succumbed to the disease.
A number of government officials including Yousuf Ghazanfar, President Ghani’s adviser, Salim Kunduz, former governor for Nangarhar province and Rahnaward Zaryab, a writer died due to the epidemic.
