ALGIERS, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Health Minister Abderrahmane Benbouzid said on Thursday that his country was determined to acquire the vaccine against COVID-19 regardless of its price.
Benbouzid made the remarks at a press conference in the Algerian capital Algiers, the official APS news agency reported.
The minister added that Algeria has joined the COVAX group with other countries to guarantee the protection of its citizens through use of the vaccine against COVID-19.
He said that "as soon as it is marketed, Algeria will acquire the vaccine to protect its citizens, whatever the cost."
At the same time, Benbouzid admitted that Algeria is facing a second wave of the pandemic, which is more fierce and dangerous than the first.
He blamed it on the decline in vigilance and abandonment of the basic rules of prevention among local people.
The minister said that the high number of infections is linked to the return to normal life, with the resumption of various commercial activities and classes in schools.
He warned that the situation could worsen if the society fails to adhere to the preventive measures, which would push the government to take more stringent measures in the coming days.
Algerian Health Ministry on Thursday reported 642 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total tally of infections to 60,169. The ministry also announced 12 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus, raising the country's death toll to 2,011.