n style=”color: #ff6600;”>Africa-Press – Ethiopia. March 30/2021/ENA/ The Ethiopian Minister of Health today has received some 300 thousand doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in China.
Health Minister Dr. Lia Tadesse received the support from Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan along with other senior government officials at the Addis Ababa Bole international Air port.
During the occasion, the Minister said that the vaccines have been donated by the government of China to help Ethiopia in its fight against the pandemic.
“The donation that we have received today will play a significant role to enhance the nation’s effort to tackle the pandemic particularly the ongoing immunization program planned to vaccinate 20 percent of the total population against COVID-19 by 2021,” Lia stated.
She expressed her gratitude to government and people of China for the various COVID-19 medical supplies previously provided to Ethiopia to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Today’s donation demonstrates the enhanced existing collaboration between the two countries in the fight against the pandemic, Lia added.
Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan on his part pointed out that Ethiopia and China have been working in partnership to curb the spread of the epidemic.
Recalling his country’s continued support to combat COVID-19 in Ethiopia since its outbreak, the ambassador said that today’s donation would help to save the lives of thousands of Ethiopians due to the pandemic.
The ambassador said China has been registering economic growth by controlling the pandemic and expressed conviction that Ethiopia will also achieve similar successes.
He also reaffirmed China’s commitment to strengthen its all-round cooperation with Ethiopia.
It is to be recalled that Ethiopia received nearly 2.2 million doses of the AstraZeneza vaccine through COVAX on the first week of March.
Ethiopia is working to vaccinate 20 percent of the population by the middle of next year.
Ethiopia has so far conducted 2,340,575 COVID-19 tests.
As of today, the nation has some 44,528 active COVID-19 cases, of which 795 are said to be under severe health conditions.
