More than half a million Tunisians received vaccinations during the last 24 hours as part of a national campaign to control the outbreak of Covid-19 after the country received more than six million vaccine doses from Western and Arab countries, reports Reuters.

The slow pace of vaccinations and the handling of the pandemic had caused a wave of protests against the government of Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who was dismissed by President Kais Saied two weeks ago among a series of emergency measures.

Five months after the start of vaccinations in the North African country, 1.3m Tunisians have received two doses.

In an effort to speed up the vaccination schedule, Tunisia opened vaccinations for those over the age of 40, with thousands flocking to inoculation centers. The Health Ministry said 551,00 people were administered vaccine doses over the past 24 hours.