This archive report was first published on 6 August 2021.
On August 6, 2021, Mozambique's government launched a mass vaccination campaign against Covid-19, aiming to inoculate 17 million people.
The campaign prioritizes those aged 50 and over, government employees, and drivers, in an effort to combat the negative impact of the third wave of the pandemic.
As of the campaign's launch, Mozambique had recorded 126,391 Covid-19 cases, 96,446 recoveries, 1,500 deaths, and 28,441 active cases.
President Filipe Nyusi emphasized the importance of vaccination, stating, "So far, in Mozambique, around 400,000 people have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which corresponds to 2.4% of the target population. It's too little."
"The vaccine stimulates the production of our defence and antibodies. In countries where the vaccination plan is more advanced, it is proven that the vaccine saves lives, because it protects against serious disease, reduces the risk of death, increases immunity in the person and reduces the spread in the community." — President Filipe Nyusi
Mozambique received over 1.8 million vaccines last week, and more doses under the Covax initiative are expected to reach the country, according to the World Health Organization.
