RABAT, January 29. /TASS/. The first batch of the Russian Sputnik V preparation against the coronavirus arrived in Algeria on Friday. As a source in the North African capital told a TASS correspondent, a plane with the preparation aboard landed in late afternoon at Boufarik airport in the Blida Province.
"The work on promoting the Russian vaccine in Algeria, including its registration, contractual negotiations and coordination of delivery, is performed by the RDIF [the Russian Direct Investment Fund] with the direct involvement of the trade mission and the Russian Embassy in Algeria," the agency’s interlocutor said.
As Algerian Communications Minister and Government Spokesman Ammar Belhimer reported, the arrival of the first batch of the Russian vaccine will allow to begin the vaccination campaign as early as January 30, according to the assignment issued earlier by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The inoculation campaign will begin in the Blida Province which since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 for a long time remained one of the major hotspots of the infection in the country.
The Sputnik V vaccine was registered in Algeria on January 10, 2021. Earlier, the RDIF reported that the deliveries of the preparation to the North African republic will be performed thanks to international partners in India, China, South Korea and other countries. According to head of the RDIF Kirill Dmitriev, the deliveries will help protect the health of Algerian citizens and ensure a complete recovery of economic activity.
The first case of the coronavirus infection in Algeria was recorded on February 25, 2020. Since then, the number of infections has surpassed 106,000. The total number of fatalities has surpassed 2,800 while over 72,000 patients have recovered. The government daily urges the residents to remain on alert and strictly observe measures of hygiene and social distance in order to curb the pandemic.