Somalia receives 200,000 doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines
Source: Chinese Embassy in Somalia

Somalia has on Sunday received 200,000 doses of Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

Somali minister for health, Dr. Fawziya Abikar, various government officials and Chinese ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian were present at the Mogadishu airport to receive the shipment, said a ministry statement.

The delivery of the vaccine follows a deal signed by Somali government and Sinopharm, the Chinese company that produces the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine last week.

The Horn of Africa nation’s ambassador in Beijing, Awale Kullane, signed the agreement on behalf of his country in a ceremony witnessed by deputy head of mission, Said Mire.

The acquisition of the Chinese-manufactured vaccines is expected to boost the country’s mass vaccination drive.

This comes barely a month after UN delivered 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from the international COVAX vaccine initiative.

The country rolled out its mass inoculations on March 16.