46 per cent of Rwandans have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, the country's Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente said on Friday.

Ngirente made the remarks in his address to Parliament on the government's response to the pandemic.

"Since Rwanda launched the COVID-19 immunization program until December 2, 2021, 6,065,691 people or 46 per cent have received at least one dose of the vaccine," he said.

The East African country is one of 14 on the continent that have already hit the World Health Organization (WHO) set target of fully vaccinating at least 10 percent of their populations before end-2021.

As the continent grapples with the emergence of a new strain of the virus, Rwanda's government is keen to have more people take the vaccines to better protect the public.

In his address to Parliament, PM Ngirente urged people who remain hesitant to take the vaccines to do so, as they were safe and effective.

"The government commends Rwandans for their continued participation in the COVID-19 immunization campaign," he said. "I would also like to encourage those who are not vaccinated to do the same because it is one of the most important ways to help them cope with this epidemic."

He added that: "For Rwandans who are still skeptical of these COVID-19 vaccines, I would like to express my sincere concern that these vaccines have no adverse effects on their recipients."

Rwanda ramped up its mass vaccination exercise in June as it received more doses following a lengthy lull in arrivals.

The WHO has set another target for each country to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of their populations by mid-2022.