The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging doctors in South Sudan to educate the public about the coronavirus vaccines so that they can make “informed decisions” on whether to get vaccinated.

The call comes as a result of some vaccine hesitancy following the news that 60,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab donated by the African Union had expired on 13 April before they were used.

Last week, the Ministry of Health said it wouldn’t use the expired vaccines, adding that the “only option available was to dispose of them”.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention had said that the vaccines were safe to use.

So far only 4,000 healthcare workers and some elderly people have been vaccinated, according to the latest report by the country’s Covid-19 Incident Manager despite more doses being available.

There is a fear that the 132,000 doses might not be used up before they expire on 18 July.