Having successfully vaccinated a significant proportion of its own population, Rwanda now aims to become a vaccine manufacturing hub through a deal with BioNTech

 Rwanda’s health sector has been praised for its adaptability in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the efficient rollout of vaccines and virus-suppression measures.

By mid-February, nearly 7m Rwandans had been fully vaccinated against the virus. At 53.7% of the population, this is one of the highest rates in Africa and the developing world.

Centralised leadership and a coordinated strategy based on the latest data were rewarded with broad public compliance with tough virus-suppression measures. ICU capacity in provincial capitals was greatly expanded to avoid Kigali being overwhelmed, which helped prevent the spread of the disease and increased survival rates through quicker administration of treatment.

Oxygen production and distribution was ramped up to cover domestic needs. The country has officially reported 1450 deaths from just under 130,000 cases.