On 31 March, COVAX provided the Ministry of Health of the internationally recognised Yemen government, led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, with the first batch of 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The shipment was meant for all Yemeni provinces, including those controlled by the Houthis.
When the first batch arrived at Aden airport, the whole country was suffering from the deterioration of its health sector and medical services. Areas controlled by the Hadi government were witnessing a second wave of the pandemic, while the Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s northern provinces, were withholding information about the number of coronavirus infections in their areas.
Medical staff working at health facilities in Houthi controlled areas were still optimistic about being allocated a share of the vaccines, however.
