Nsanzabaganwa Christian 1,*, Bigirimana Noella 2, Hitimana Nadia 3, Byiringiro Fidele 1, Semakula Muhammed 2, Mutesa Leon 4,5, Nsanzimana Sabin 2
1 Rwanda Military Hospital, Kigali, Rwanda
2 Rwanda Biomedical Center, Kigali, Rwanda
3 Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Kigali, Rwanda
4 Centre for Human Genetics, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda
5 COVID-19 Joint Task Force Committee, Kigali, Rwanda
INTRODUCTION
With more than 118.3 million cases and more than 2.6 million deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide [1] and more
than 20,000 total cases and 275 deaths in Rwanda, efforts have been made to ensure global and non-discriminatory access to the vaccine [2].
COVID-19 vaccines help develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 by making the human body produce memory T-lymphocytes
and B-lymphocytes [3] that will remember how to fight that virus when attacked and effectively eliminate the viruses [4].
As vaccination campaigns are underway in different countries, as of 9 March 2021, 300 million vaccine doses have been administered
[1]. Rwanda was not left behind in the fight against the pandemic and is among the first African countries to have started the COVID-19
vaccination campaign [5,6].
