The Director of the Food and Drug Control Center, Abdullah Abdullah, called on the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) to not start the Covid-19 vaccinations until completing the approval procedures.

According to the letter addressed to the NCDC by the food and drug control, the tests to ensure the safety of the Sputnik and AstraZeneca vaccines against the coronavirus will be completed within three days.

"The vaccine shipments have been temporarily released but distributing them before completion of the approval procedures, including the issuance of the release certificate is a violation of the established procedures," the letter read.

The food and drug centre called on the NCDC to reserve the vaccine shipments in stores until undergoing all the evaluation measures, insisting it will not bear responsibility for any breaches in this regard.

For his part, the Director of the Vaccination Department, Abdul Basit Samiu, confirmed that the vaccines in the stores approved by the National Center for Disease Control have not yet been distributed.

In a press statement, Samiu reiterated that they will not start distributing the vaccine until receiving the final report from the Food and Drug Control Center, indicating that the vaccination of officials a few days ago was a ceremonial event to mark the launching of the campaign and a message of reassurance to the people that the vaccine is safe.

The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, on Saturday, inaugurated the national campaign for vaccination against coronavirus from the NCDC headquarters in Souk Al-Jum'aa Municipality, by receiving the first shot of the vaccine, accompanied by several ministers of his cabinet.