ABUJA, Nigeria 

Gambia received over 151,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday.

The shipment arrived in the West African nation through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility, meant to deliver vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said the doses came at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country had increased dramatically.

"We lost our friends and relatives from the pandemic. We are at risk of COVID-19 because we are all human, and we can only be safe if we are vaccinated," said Samateh, adding COVID-19 is real and people should take it seriously.

He stressed that vaccines are safe and effective.

The country, with a population of over 2.49 million, has reported 8,296 cases and 227 coronavirus-related deaths so far.

Some countries are wholly reliant on COVAX, and the distribution of vaccines has been hampered by manufacturing delays and supply disruptions.

*Writing by Busra Nur Cakmak