For the first time in Burundi, volunteers receive the 1st dose of Sinopharm Vaccine
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol V, Issue #191 | Monday, October 18, 2021
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Dear Regioweek Reader,
This Monday, October 18th, 2020 for the first time, a group of Burundians officially received their first doses of Sinopharm, the coronavirus vaccine developed by China. The vaccine is prohibited for pregnant women and those under the age of 18.
On October 15th China offered 500,000 Sinopharm doses of COVID-19 vaccines to help Burundi fight the pandemic. After China, the USA, France, and Belgium will offer vaccines against COVID19 in Burundi.
As it was announced last Wednesday by Burundi's Health Ministry Thadee Ndikumana, the vaccination campaign will initially target healthcare providers, people aged over 60 or with underlying health problems, as well as people traveling abroad and any volunteers.
On October 7th the Ministry of Health validated the updated national response plan against COVID-19 in partnership with WHO, UN Resident Coordinator, UNICEF, WB, USAID, OIM, OCHA, UNHCR. The new plan has an innovation, the vaccination pillar, which is added to 9 other already existing response pillars.
The government of Burundi announced that it is introducing a health pass from November 1, with all people traveling inside the country from Bujumbura will be obliged to have a Covid-19 test and carry a certificate valid for one month.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Burundi has recorded 19,441 confirmed cases with 14 deaths.
Burundi Central Bank(BRB) has implemented a new automated check processing system.
An automated system for processing clearing checks has been operational since September 10, 2021. This was announced in a press release from the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB) made public on Monday, October 18, 2021.
According to Jean Bosco Ndikumana, adviser to the management in charge of the payment system, the system was set up with the intervention of all stakeholders in the sector, namely the BRB, the Commercial Banks, and the National Post Office which has come together to develop it.
The time allotted for payment and settlement of payment transactions through check was approximately 3 to 5 days. Today the check payment settlement time through the payment system is only 1 day. The day you deposit the check in your bank is the same day you pay the check and directly impacts your account and your bank. This reduction in time is the added value to be welcomed in this sector.
President Evariste Ndayishimiye appoints Evelyne Butoyi as the Head of information.
In presidential Decree, No 100/241 of October 18, 2021, appointing senior executives to the Presidency of the Republic, Evelyne Butoyi was appointed the Head of Information replacing Amb. Willy Nyamitwe left the presidency to become a member of the National Communication Council. Evelyne Butoyi who was to this day the President Spokesperson served as the Minister of Youth and ICT during the last Mandate of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
Thanks for reading
Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com
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