Ethiopia needs 330 million USD to vaccinate 20 pc population against COVID-19, says minister

Ethiopia needs up to USD 330 million to meet the target of vaccinating 20 percent of the country's population against COVID-19, the health minister has said.

Ethiopia expects to cover the cost from government coffers as well as from international financial partners, Lia Tadesse told journalists on Tuesday.

The country has secured nine million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the minister said.

"Ethiopia is a large country with a large population, so it will not be limited to one set of vaccines for its population," Tadesse said.

"Ethiopia is also interested in acquiring Chinese and Russian-made COVID-19 vaccines... provided they have been proven to be safe for use," she said.

Ethiopia will be vaccinating its population from April, giving priority to high-risk groups such as the elderly, those with serious pre-existing health problems, health professionals and social workers, Tadesse said.

Ethiopia has reported 143,566 confirmed cases and 2,158 COVID-19-related deaths as of Tuesday evening. (/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )