Cairo: Egypt and the People’s Republic of China donated 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to Palestine, aiding the country in its battle against the outbreak, the Chinese Embassy to Egypt said in its released statement.
These COVID-19 vaccines were produced in the Middle East nation in partnership with Egypt’s Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac.
Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, the acting health minister and higher education minister of Egypt on Sunday, marking the donation, asserted, “We commemorate the delivery of a batch of support as a joint gift from China and Egypt to our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip. This batch of support to Palestine marks the first time for Egypt to ship its locally produced COVID-19 vaccines abroad”.
Minister Abdel-Ghaffar added throughout the difficult times of the pandemic, Egypt and China “carried out a wonderful cooperation”.
He noted, so far, the Middle East country produced more than 30 million doses of the vaccine, adding that the efficacy and safety of these vaccines is guaranteed.
During the ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt – Liao Liqiang, was also present. He addressed the gift of these COVID-19 vaccines to Palestine as a “new and crucial step”, noting that it will help the population to safeguard themselves against the deadliest pandemic.
This joint donation showcases that “both China and Egypt have attached great importance to the Palestinian people’s health and the Palestinian cause”, Chinese Ambassador Liqiang added.
Following the above statement, the Ambassador added, “As a devoted friend to the Palestinian people, a responsible primary country & a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council – UNSC, China will continue to collaborate with the international community, including Egypt, to drive for the settlement of the Palestinian issue, & make positive contributions to achieve permanent peace & stability in the Middle East region”.
About 43.3% of the Palestine population is partially vaccinated, while 31.9% of the total population is fully vaccinated so far.