Senegal reports record daily COVID-19 cases

LOME, Togo

Senegal on Wednesday reported 733 new coronavirus cases, the most confirmed in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

The new numbers in the Western African country brought the overall caseload to 47,596 infections and 1,203 related deaths as the authorities urged the public to strictly adhere to prevention measures.

The nation of 17 million has administered over 751,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with just over 201,000 fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University.

On July 9, the EU agreed to support a large-scale investment in vaccine production by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

The new manufacturing plant could reduce Africa's 99% dependence on vaccine imports and strengthen future pandemic resilience on the continent.

Construction of the new plant is expected to start later this year, with 25 million vaccine doses to be produced each month by the end of 2022.