Dr. Riek Machar gets his first Covid vaccine on April 7, 2021/Courtesy

The First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar has officially been vaccinated against the coronavirus in Juba on Wednesday.

Machar becomes the second government official known to have taken the AstraZeneca vaccine after the Minister of Health took hers on Tuesday.

South Sudan administered the jab after almost two weeks of delay.

Frontline health care workers at Juba Teaching Hospital, Giada Military Hospital, the State House J1, and the Police Hospital in Juba also got the injections.

The Ministry of Health had earlier announced it would start rolling the jabs within the Presidency.

But no one within the government seemed interested to be the first beneficiary of the vaccine until Elizabeth Achuei kick-started the exercise.

In a statement yesterday, the Office of the First Vice President disclosed that Machar was vaccinated in his office.

Machar encouraged the people to get vaccinated saying the vaccine is good for the whole country.

As of Tuesday, South Sudan had confirmed 11 new coronavirus cases raising the cumulative number to 10,297.

Dr. Riek Machar advised the public to observe coronavirus preventive measures such as wearing masks, socially distancing and washing hands with soap or sanitize.