Health authorities in Libya began vaccinating people against the coronavirus on Saturday using Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine and AstraZeneca shots provided through the COVAX programme.

Last week, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah along with the Health Minister received the first shots of the vaccine at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on live television to encourage people to register for their own vaccinations.

The campaign kicked off Saturday morning in 430 health facilities across the country. The centres have been equipped with all the health and media requirements for the campaign, the NCDC confirmed.

According to the NCDC, the vaccination rollout will start with high-priority groups, such as health workers, elderly people, and those who are chronically ill.

The NCDC Director Badr Al-Din Al-Najjar confirmed at a press conference that the vaccine will be distributed to about five municipalities in the eastern region that have health facilities equipped to receive and store the vaccine, while another batch will be delivered to the south within the coming days.

Libya has registered around 171,131 coronavirus cases, including 2,882 deaths and 156,344 recoveries according to the NCDC figures on Thursday.