Algerian minister urges COVID vaccination amid virus outbreak

ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria health The minister on Tuesday urged people to get vaccinated and save hospitals from collapsing as the North African nation faces a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Algeria is battling infections from both the delta variant and the highly contagious omicron variant, which now accounts for 60% of COVID-19 infections. Monday, health authorities reported a daily record of 2,215 cases and 13 deaths.

“I urge you to get vaccinated and break the chain of infections that may bring our health institutions on their knees,” Health Minister Abderahmane Benbouzid told a news conference in the capital, Algiers. “For now, hospital staff are managing. The question is, how long can they hold out?

Omicron is less likely to cause severe disease than the previous delta variant, studies show. Omicron spreads even more easily than others coronavirus strains, and has already become dominant in many countries. It also more easily infects people who have been vaccinated or previously infected with earlier versions of the virus.

The inoculation rate in Algeria remains low. Less than a quarter of the population has received even a single dose of the vaccine despite the government’s vigorous vaccination campaign in state media and on social media, which includes pro-vaccine posts from famous Algerian actors, singers, athletes and influencers.

Algeria has a stock of vaccines which can largely ensure the coverage of vaccine needs for two years, the minister said. Overall, only 13% of Algeria’s 45 million people have been vaccinated, the minister said. Among eligible adults, only 29% received two doses of the vaccine, he said.

In December, Algeria began requiring vaccine passports to enter many public places, seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy that has left millions of vaccines unused.

The pass is also required for anyone entering or leaving Algeria, as well as access to sports facilities, cinemas, theatres, museums, town halls and other sites such as hammams – popular baths throughout the region.

Official figures show Algeria has recorded 6,508 COVID-19-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, but even members of the government’s scientific committee admit the real figure is much higher. For fear of being blamed for contracting the virus, some Algerians keep their infections a secret, which then puts others at risk.

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