The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the Japanese government has approved a funding program worth 833,000 U.S. dollars to support Libya against COVID-19, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The fund is aimed at strengthening Libya's preparedness for the COVID-19 vaccination program, especially with regard to the procurement of cold chain equipment and institutional capacity development of health staff, UNICEF said in a statement.
With the purpose of vaccinating 1.5 million people, the project will support approximately 200 facilities and 1,000 health officials and health care staff, said Masaki Amadera, charge d'affaires of the Embassy of Japan to Libya.
The Libyan government in April launched a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the country, with priority given to medical staff treating COVID-19 patients inside isolation units, followed by the elderly, those with chronic diseases, and then medical workers in different hospitals and medical centers.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Libya so far is 182,350, including 169,070 recoveries and 3,097 fatalities, according to the Libyan National Center for Disease Control.