 Madagascar has received the first 250,000 doses of COVID shield, the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine to fight a second wave that has overwhelmed health facilities. After refusing a vaccine for four months, Madagascar finally agreed to receive vaccines under the COVAX facility program, which provides free access to the vaccines for low-income countries. The Indian Ocean Island nation is struggling with rising infections with nearly 9,900 cases recorded over the past month, of which at least 194 have been fatal. The country of around 27 million people has so far reported 34,775 coronavirus cases, including 588 deaths.