Gabonese president gets first shot of China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19

LIBREVILLE, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife Sylvia Bongo Ondimba received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinopharm on Tuesday in Libreville, said a press release from the Presidency.

"As he himself announced, the President of the Republic has been vaccinated against COVID-19," the release said.

The First Lady had also published on social media the photos taken during her vaccination.

On Tuesday, Gabon's Minister of Health Guy Patrick Obiang Ndong officially launched the national vaccination campaign against COVID-19.

The kick-off of this campaign was made possible by a donation of Sinopharm's vaccine to the Gabonese people by China.

In a message to the nation on Monday evening, the Gabonese president specified that the first phase of vaccination would mainly target health personnel, the military and similar forces as well as vulnerable people.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was discovered in Gabon on March 12, 2020. In about one year's time, Gabon has lost 108 people as a result of this pandemic, according to the latest data published by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.