Djibouti receives another shipment of COVID-19 vaccine donation from China

A new shipment of 1.1 million doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to Djibouti arrived at Ambouli International Airport on Nov 30.

Djiboutis Health Minister Ahmed Robleh Abdilleh and Chinese Ambassador to Djibouti Hu Bin received the vaccines and signed a handover certificate on behalf of the two countries' governments at the airport.

Abdilleh thanked the Chinese government and people for once again providing selfless assistance to his country. He said vaccines are a necessary and effective weapon to fight against COVID-19, and the Sinovac vaccine is of good quality, easy to preserve and has a long validity period. The shipment will greatly help Djibouti improve its vaccination rate.

Hu said the new shipment of vaccines came at the right time. At the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China proposed providing another 1 billion doses of vaccines to Africa in order to achieve the target set by the African Union of vaccinating 60 percent of the African population by 2022. 

The delivery of this vaccine is a concrete move by China to follow through on its commitment, Hu said, adding that China will continue to support African countries, including Djibouti, in combating the pandemic, ensure vaccine accessibility and affordability, and bridge the "immunization gap". 

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Djibouti have always stood by each other and joined hands to fight against the pandemic, vividly illustrating the brotherhood between the two countries, and writing a new chapter in China-Djibouti relations.