Tunisia says coronavirus vaccines to be free for citizens

The COVID-19 vaccines will be free for all Tunisian citizens, Hechmi Louzir, Director General of the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, said on Tuesday.

Louzir told Tunis Afrique Presse that the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be allocated to those suffering from chronic diseases, the elderly, and health workers, adding that the vaccination will not be mandatory.

The health official affirmed that his country has already reserved two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

The Tunisian Ministry of Health has signed an agreement to obtain the above-mentioned vaccines at a price of seven U.S. dollars per dose. On Tuesday night, Tunisia reported 1,483 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total number of infections to 113,241.

The death toll from the virus rose by 41 to 3,956 in the North African country, the Ministry said in a statement.