BAMAKO, Jan 21 (Reuters) – Mali plans to buy over 8.4 million doses of coronavirus vaccine and expects to start a vaccination campaign in April, the council of ministers said in a statement on Thursday.

It said the vaccines would cost over 31 billion CFA francs ($57 million). This will be covered with financial assistance from global vaccine alliance GAVI, which co-runs the COVAX alliance to secure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines for developing countries.

It did not specify which vaccines it planned to buy.

Mali, like other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is battling a second wave of coronavirus infections, although its infection rate has decreased from a peak in early January, data compiled by Reuters shows.

The West African nation has so far recorded 7,911 COVID-19 cases and 320 deaths.

($1 = 537.2500 CFA francs) (Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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