Tunis, Jul 13 (IANS): Tunisian President Kais Saied has received his first dose of a vaccine against Covid-19, his office announced in a statement.

"Our country is able to overcome this delicate epidemiological situation thanks to the firm will of all Tunisians," Saied was quoted as saying in the statement on Monday.

Highlighting the huge pressures facing hospitals and health institutions in Tunisia in dealing with the rapid spread of the virus amid the lack of human and logistical resources, he said the government is committed to "providing vaccines and various necessary medical equipment and supplies".

Earlier in the day, the four provinces of Grand Tunis (Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous and Manouba) decided to extend the anti-coronavirus measures taken jointly on June 30 and July 6 until July 31.

According to the measures, the movement of vehicles between the provinces is banned during weekends from Saturday 5 a.m. to Monday 5 a.m., while on-site consumption in cafes and restaurants is prohibited from 4 p.m.

Parties, gatherings, demonstrations and access to places of worship are also banned, while the reception capacity of a supermarket is set at 30 per cent.

Tunisia has so far registered 497,613 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 16,388 deaths, while 2,138,025 vaccine doses against the disease has been administered.