Khartoum, May 17 (SUNA) - Director of Expanded Immunization Department at the Federal Ministry of Health Dr. Ismail Al-Adani has said that the ministry aims to vaccinate 8 million citizens against coronavirus disease by the end of next June.

This came during the ministry's launching of the sixth vaccination campaign announced by the ministry today at the Sudan News Agency's Forum.

Dr. Al-Adani said that the ministry has actually reached 6 million citizens who have received the vaccination service so far.

He explained that currently they focus on persons of 18 years old and over, and that once the number reaches 8 million, which represents 20% of all citizens, the ministry will begin to move to vaccinate those under the age of 18, until the percentage reaches 52% of the total number of the citizens.

Dr. Al-Adani affirmed that the campaign will start from tomorrow, the eighteenth of May to the twenty-third of the same month, covering all states of Sudan except for Khartoum state due to some arrangements.

He explained that the campaign targets 1.4 million persons over the age of 18, explaining that the number of centers operating throughout the states is 2,299.

On her part, representative of the Department of Emergency and Epidemic Control at the Ministry of Health Dr. Laila Hamadnil explained that the number of infected people has begun to increase during the recent period, and that the suspected cases of the disease have reached 114,634 cases throughout the country, and that the States of Khartoum and Gezira are the states most affected by the epidemic.

Meanwhile, Director of Health Promotion Department at the Federal Ministry of Health Sarah Al-Malik noted that they have a great role in raising health awareness and in motivating the community to adopt vaccination, which is done through several strategies represented in announcing vaccination centers throughout the states and reassuring the citizens of the effectiveness and safety of vaccination.

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