China has decided to donate another 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Maldives.
The announcement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, following a meeting held with the Ambassador of China to the Maldives Zhang Lizhong on March 4. Following the meeting, Minister Shahid said in a tweet that China has decided to donate a further 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Maldives, in addition to the 100,000 doses pledged already. He thanked the Chinese government for its support to the COVID-19 vaccination programme undertaken by the Maldives.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Zhang Lizhong also confirmed China’s decision to donate another 100,000 doses of vaccine to the Maldives. He said China’s donation is part of its efforts to support the Maldives in its economic recovery and to fulfill China’s promise to make vaccines public goods.
China’s decision to donate the first batch of 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the Maldives was announced on February 5. However, this batch has not yet arrived in the Maldives. Although the brand of vaccine to be donated by China was not officially announced, it is believed that China will be donating the Sinopharm vaccine, manufactured by a state-owned company of China.
On February 3, Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) had revealed the Maldives had received 5,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from a private party. HEOC said the vaccine is currently being analysed by Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) before authorising it for use in the Maldives.
The Sinopharm vaccine has completed phase three trials, and returned an efficacy rate of 79%. The vaccine has already been authorised in some countries around the world.