Burkina Faso has launched its campaign to vaccinate its population of 20 million people against coronavirus a few days after receiving 155,000 doses of AstraZeneca via the global-sharing vaccine scheme Covax.

The ministers of health, sport and the mayor of the capital, Ouagadougou, were the first to get their jabs.

They are being followed by health workers, those living with hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure and Muslims planning to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia next month.

According to the health ministry the distribution list so far is as follows:

92,000 doses reserved for vulnerable people
20,000 for pilgrims
3,000 for people working at non-governmental organisations and UN staff.
The second vaccination phase is scheduled for August.

Since the beginning of the pandemic last year, the West African nation has registered 13,435 cases and 167 deaths.