President Salva Kiir has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
He received the first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine at his residence in Juba Tuesday afternoon.
The President was vaccinated by a team of South Sudanese health practitioners.
Two medical staff helped inject him on the left arm.
The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial, was also vaccinated along with the President.
“You people of South Sudan do what our president has done today, so we congratulate our President Salva Kiir Mayardit for leading the risk,” he told the media.
JUST IN…
President Salva Kiir this afternoon received his first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus.
The President was vaccinated at his residence in Juba. #Southsudan @SSOT_tweets pic.twitter.com/elbCDbH17E
— Eye Radio (@EyeRadioJuba) April 13, 2021
But President Kiir just joined the list of senior government officials who have taken the jab of AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus, after two weeks of reluctance.
So far, First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga and other senior cabinet officials have taken the vaccine.
The first doses of the 132,000 AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in South Sudan on March 25.
The vaccines have so far been rolled out at the Juba Teaching Hospital, Giada Military Hospital, the State House J1, and the Police Hospital in Juba.