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All you need to know about Covid-19 vaccinations in Tunisia

Pfizer, Sputnik V or AstraZeneca/Oxford - which vaccines will be administered in Tunisia against Covid-19? Who will be vaccinated first? When will it start? Inkyfada provides you with the latest information.
Written by
Noujoud Rejbi
| 02 March 2021 | reading-duration 7 minutes
Available in ArabicFrench
As of the 5th of February 2021, nearly 120 million people have been vaccinated worldwide. In Tunisia, however, the vaccination campaign has not yet started. According to the government, the first doses are due to arrive mid-February 2021, with the vaccination campaign following suit.
ANNOUNCED CHRONOLOGY OF VACCINE ARRIVAL IN TUNISIA Sources : Scientific Committee for Combating the Coronavirus | Ministry of Health FEBRUARY 2021 doses COVAX WHO (Pfizer) 93 600 doses COVAX WHO (AstraZeneca/Oxford) 1 million MARCH 2021 doses Direct purchase (Pfizer) CDC Africa 2 million doses Direct purchase 2 million doses 2,4 million APRIL 2021 COVAX WHO doses 4 million 11 493 600 TOTAL doses ANNOUNCED CHRONOLOGY OF VACCINE ARRIVAL IN TUNISIA Sources : Scientific Committee for Combating the Coronavirus | Ministry of Health doses COVAX WHO (Pfizer) 93 600 COVAX WHO (AstraZeneca/Oxford) doses 1 million FEBRUARY 2021 doses Direct purchase 2 million CDC Africa doses 2,4 million MARCH 2021 Direct purchase (Pfizer) doses 2 million APRIL 2021 COVAX WHO de doses 4 million 11 493 600 TOTAL doses

This infographic is based on an official document from the Ministry of Health (20th January, 2020), and on clarifications made by the Minister of Health on the 30th of January, 2021. The figures are therefore subject to change, according to regular information updates provided by the government.   

For the time being, the Tunisian authorities have only issued marketing authorisations (AMM) for the Pfizer and Sputnik V vaccines. Others are still under review, including the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine which is due to arrive imminently, as well as the Chinese vaccine from Sinovac.

Initially set at 50,000 doses, Covax's emergency aid was finally increased to more than a million doses by mid-February. The vaccines supplied by the WHO (World Health Organisation) and CDC Africa come from several laboratories: Pfizer, AstraZeneca/Oxford, and Johnson & Johnson. 

Meanwhile, Tunisia has purchased 4 million doses directly from foreign laboratories. In addition to the Pfizer vaccine, the government is also negotiating with Russia.

"Negotiations are well underway and it is very likely that we will secure the Sputnik V vaccine", explains Riadh Daghfous, General Director of the National Pharmacovigilance Centre, and member of the Scientific Commission for combating the coronavirus. 
VACCINE TYPES Sources : France 24 | TV5 monde | Jeune Afrique | Ouest France German-American vaccine Global efficiency: 95% 2 injections Storage temperature: -70° to -80°C American vaccine Global efficiency: 94.1% 2 injections Storage temperature: -20°C The RNA vaccine, what is it? Discovered in the 1990s, the mRNA vaccine is being used on humans for the first time in the fight against Covid-19. It consists of injecting the genetic material of the virus (messenger RNA) into human cells, which then produces harmless proteins. The immune system recognises them as foreign and produces effective antibodies against the virus. ? Swedish-British vaccine Global efficiency: 70% 2 injections Storage temperature: 2° to 8°C Russian vaccine Global efficiency: 91.4% 2 injections Storage temperature: 2° to 8°C The viral vector vaccine, what is it? Like the mRNA vaccine, the viral vector vaccine is also based on the genetic material of the virus. The only difference is that the latter is injected into human cells via a harmless virus. It replicates itself and then spreads, triggering the body's immune response. ? Chinese vaccine Global efficiency: 79% 2 injections Storage temperature: 2° to 8°C The inactivated virus vaccine, what is it? The inactivated virus vaccine is the most traditional method of vaccination, which was developed by Louis Pasteur. It consists of injecting a chemically inactivated form of the virus into the cells. The human body then identifies the virus and produces antibodies to neutralise it. ? Inactivated virus vaccine Viral Vector Vaccines Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines VACCINE TYPES Sources : France 24 | TV5 monde | Jeune Afrique | Ouest France German-American vaccine Global efficiency: 95% 2 injections Storage temperature: -70° to -80°C American vaccine Global efficiency: 94.1% 2 injections Storage temperature: -20°C The RNA vaccine, what is it? Discovered in the 1990s, the mRNA vaccine is being used on humans for the first time in the fight against Covid-19. It consists of injecting the genetic material of the virus (messenger RNA) into human cells, which then produces harmless proteins. The immune system recognises them as foreign and produces effective antibodies against the virus. ?