Issuing the first data on infections since May 2020, Tanzanian President Samia Hassan said there were more than 100 COVID-19 patients in Tanzania as of last Saturday, with 70 of them being provided oxygen. Hassan declared that the country will spend $470 million buying vaccines and supporting economic sectors hit hard by the coronavirus.

Half of the cash will be spent on vaccines, protective gear and other medical equipment, Hassan said, with the rest going to stimulate sectors that are reeling from the crisis.

She did not give details about the sectors but tourism, one of the top foreign exchange earners, has been one of the worst hit.

“There are many organizations which are ready to support us,” she told Tanzanian news editors.

There is currently no coronavirus vaccination program in Tanzania, but the country has applied to join the World Health Organization-backed COVAX vaccine-sharing project.

The government is working with healthcare partners to develop a plan to distribute vaccines.

“Any Tanzanian who wants to be inoculated will be inoculated,” Hassan said.