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Senegal pays $3.7 mln for 200,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine

By Diadie Ba

DAKAR, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Senegal has paid a little over 2billion CFA francs ($3.72 million) - or nearly $19 per shot -for 200,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China'sSinopharm, a finance ministry spokesman told Reuters on Friday.

African nations are struggling to source vaccines in theface of a global scramble for doses. Coverage secured throughAfrican Union (AU) and World Health Organization-backed (WHO)schemes so far falls short of the continent's needs.

Senegal said in January it was in talks to buy the Chinesevaccine. Finance ministry spokesman Balle Preira confirmed thecost of the shots, which will cover only a fraction of itspopulation of 16 million, without giving further details.

As a lower-middle income country, Senegal is eligible foraround 1.3 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines forfree in the first wave of disbursement from the WHO's COVAXscheme.

Separately, the AU says it has secured roughly 670 millionshots for the continent. Senegal is eligible to get 3.4 millionvaccines for just under $23 million under the plan.

Those include over 620,000 doses of the Pfizer Inctwo-shot vaccine at $6.75 per shot, more than 1.2 million ofAstraZeneca's two-shot vaccine at $3 each, and nearly 1.5million of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine at$10 each.

Senegal's President Macky Sall said this week he aims tostart a vaccination campaign by the end of February. The WestAfrican nation has recorded about 30,000 cases and 735 deathsfrom COVID-19 so far.

Despite a relatively late start compared to western vaccineproducers, China is ramping up efforts to globally distributeits vaccines.

Chinese and African officials have announced a raft ofrelatively small vaccine donations to countries, includingEquatorial Guinea, Guinea and Congo Republic in recent weeks inwhat some interpret as an attempt by Beijing to cultivate goodwill.

Zimbabwe said earlier this week it had purchased 600,000doses of the Sinopharm vaccine following an initial donation of200,000 shots. It did not disclose the cost of the deal.

($1 = 537.5000 CFA francs)(Reporting by Diadie Ba; Additional reporting by David Lewis inNairobi; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Joe Bavier andBarbara Lewis)