A total of 100,000 Sinopharm Covid-19, vaccines, 102,400 syringes and 10, 000 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits arrived from China last Saturday.
This was the third batch of Covid-19 vaccines sent by China, bringing the total number of vaccines donated to Vanuatu to 200,000. This makes China the largest single donor of Covid-19 vaccines to Vanuatu.
Sinopharm was the second vaccine introduced in Vanuatu, after AstraZeneca. The first batch of 20,000 doses and second batch of 80,000 doses were received in June and October last year with medical supplies.
China did not only donated vaccines and supplies, it also provided an amount of VT27 million (US$236,766) to support government’s efforts in combating Covid-19.
Upon the arrival of the third batch, the Chinese Embassy confirmed that another batch of medical supplies, including large quantities of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators are arriving in the coming weeks.
The Ambassador of China to Vanuatu, Zhou Haicheng, and the Director General (DG) of the Ministry of Health (MOH), were at the airport to welcome the arrival of the vaccines and medical supplies.
As of last Saturday, there were 57,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines in stock, 19,600 AstraZeneca doses, 10,400 Johnson and Johnson (J&J) and around 12,000 Moderna doses.
Ambassador Haicheng said in a statement that the new vaccines will further the Vanuatu Government to promote the vaccination rollout and booster shots rollout so as to better prepare for the border reopening.
“China will always stand firm by Vanuatu’s side through all challenges, work with global partners to help Vanuatu in Covid-19 response, and improve Vanuatu’s public health system in a bid to enhance preparedness and capacity for coping with major health emergencies,” he said.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
“China is willing to take the new starting point to further support the sustainable development of Vanuatu and enhance cooperation with Vanuatu across all board to push the China-Vanuatu comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights,” he said
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