A local resident gets COVID-19 vaccine injection at a vaccination center in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, on July 5, 2021. The Brunei government officially launched Phase 3 of its National Vaccination Program Monday, providing free COVID-19 vaccination for all citizens and residents over 18 years old in the country. (Photo by Jeffrey Wong/Xinhua)
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Brunei government officially launched Phase 3 of its National Vaccination Program Monday, providing free COVID-19 vaccination for all citizens and residents over 18 years old in the country.
According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, the Sultanate's vaccination arrangement is divided into three phases starting from April 3, 2021, for all eligible people in the country over 18 years of age.
The first phase mainly targeted medical personnel, border control personnel fighting against the epidemic in the front line, and senior citizens and students pursuing studies abroad, while the second phase is for teachers, childcare staff and adults with chronic diseases.
During the rolling-out of Phase 3 of the vaccination program, Brunei now allows all eligible nationals and residents over 18 years old to reserve their jab slots through a mobile application Bruhealth, aiming to achieve at least 70 percent vaccination coverage by the end of this year.
Brunei has previously announced that five COVID-19 vaccine candidates from Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, China's Sinopharm, and Johnson and Johnson will be administered in the country. All Brunei citizens and residents, including foreign nationals with a valid identification card, can receive the COVID-19 vaccination for free.
In February, Brunei received a batch of Sinopharm vaccine donations from China, followed by the AstraZeneca vaccine and Moderna vaccine acquired from the World Health Organization and other overseas providers.
The health ministry said on Monday that as of Sunday, 16.9 percent of the country's population had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Brunei reported no new confirmed COVID-19 cases on Monday, maintaining the national tally at 262.
Seven active cases are being treated and monitored at the National Isolation Center, who are all in a stable condition.
Located in southeast Asia, Brunei has recorded 425 days without local COVID-19 infection cases since the last local infection recorded in May last year.
There have been a total of 252 recovered patients and three deaths reported from COVID-19 in the country. Enditem
