Colombia's Duque gets first COVID-19 shot amid record deaths

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Ivan Duque received his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, as he urged people to continue protecting themselves against the coronavirus amid a new record in daily deaths in the Andean country.

Colombia, which has recorded more than 95,000 COVID-19 deaths, is in the process of vaccinating everyone over age 60 and people between ages 16 and 59 with pre-existing health conditions, as well as teachers and military personnel. Duque received his shot as the military commander in chief.

The country reported 577 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, a new daily high.

Colombia began its vaccination campaign in February, prioritizing medical staff and older people. It aims to vaccinate more than 35 million people this year - 70% of its population - and has administered 12.9 million doses so far.