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Prime Minister Bob Loughman Weibur expressed his gratitude to the Government of China for its commitment to supply Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines as part of the development of bilateral relations with Vanuatu.
Loughman received 20,000 doses of the vaccines from the Chinese Government in Port Vila yesterday.
“This is a testament to the strong friendship and close collaboration between the two governments and their people. Vanuatu has a long history of relationship with China. Today is a demonstration of the strength and reaffirmed commitment between the two countries, “he said.
China’s Ambassador to Vanuatu Zhou Haicheng said, “The arrival of the vaccines shows the support of China to Vanuatu as we continue in this fight to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and save lives. The vaccine has fulfilled all the process and criteria for a safe and efficacious vaccine”.
Vanuatu is among only a few countries in Pacific that have received the Sinopharm vaccine.
Sinopharm is the second COVID-19 vaccine to arrive in Vanuatu after the AstraZeneca vaccine. Like the AstraZeneca vaccine, Sinopharm vaccine has gone through necessary trials and achieved the World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing.
The vaccine has already been administered to millions of people in China and elsewhere.
The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine is administered in two doses to those aged 18 and over at a WHO-recommended interval of between 3-4 weeks.
One of the key advantages of the vaccine is its easy storage requirements making it highly suitable for low-resource settings, like Vanuatu.
It is also the first vaccine that will carry a vaccine vial monitor, a small sticker on the vaccine vials that change color as the vaccine is exposed to heat, letting health workers know whether the vaccine can be safely used.
The Ministry of Health is urging health workers and frontline workers who are at risk of getting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work to come forward to receive the vaccine.
This ensures that they are protected while they carry out essential duties, and in turn protect their families, the community, and Vanuatu’s future.
Photo Caption: PM Bob Loughman Weibur receives the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese Ambassador in Vanuatu Zhou Haicheng
