Liberia vows to meet W.H.O’s benchmark as the U.S donated vaccines arrive

By Lewis S. Teh

Liberia’s Minister of Health and head of the incident management system Dr. Wilehlmina Jallah says, Liberia will meet the W.H.O’s benchmark following the arrival of the U.S donated Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

The United States Government, last week donated over 300,000 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines to help Liberia fight off the raging covid-19 virus here.

“With the coming of additional vaccines from the U.S., I can safely say Liberia will meet the requirements and reach all of the benchmarks set up by W.H.O,” she assured.

Dr. Jallah gave the assurance on Saturday, July 24, 2021 in a special press briefing held at the Ministry of Information in Monrovia when she announced the arrival of 302,400 doses of Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines provided by the United States Government in collaboration with the African Union and the African Centers for Disease Control via the Roberts International Airport in Harbel, Margibi County.

The Health Minister said the vaccines are gifts from the U.S. Government and will definitely help the country reach WHO’s benchmark, which requires at least 10 percent of a country’s total population to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 2021.

Dr. Jallah thanked President George Weah, U.S. President Joe Biden,

Liberia’s Ambassador to the United States, George Pattern and Liberians in the United States for their combined efforts and in ensuring the vaccines arrive here safely.

She said unlike the AstraZeneca jabs administered earlier that requires two doses per person, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single dose, which means everyone will have an opportunity to be vaccinated with healthcare workers being prioritized.

“When we began administering the first doses, we listed certain people, but this time around everyone is important, including those with cold mobility, among others” Dr. Jallah explained. Editing by Jonathan Browne