The Chinese Government has donated 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine and syringes which arrived at Freetown on the 22nd July 2022 during a handover and acceptance ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) on August 9th, 2022.
Li Xiaoyong, the Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy, and the honorable Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health, Princess Dugba, the Permanent Secretary, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry attended the ceremony.
The Charge d’Affaires reiterated that China will continue to fulfill its promise to aid the Sierra Leonean Government and people fight COVID-19. China is the largest provider of vaccines to foreign countries and has provided a total of 2 billion doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to more than 120 countries and international organizations, accounting for one-third of the total amount of vaccines used worldwide outside of China.
China will donate another 2 million doses of vaccine to Sierra Leone in 2022 on top of the 1 million doses promised in 2021. That special batch of vaccine is provided under an initiative made by Professor Peng Liyuan, wife of H.E. President Xi Jinping, to improve vaccination among women, children and youth.
Princess Dugba thanked the Chinese Government’s for its continuous commitment and support in helping the Sierra Leonean people to combat COVID-19, especially for providing COVID-19 vaccines together with an aiding fund to activate the previous donated four mobile medical clinics to bring fundamental medical services including COVID-19 vaccination to people living in remote areas.
She stated that the Ministry will definitely strive to further boost vaccination using Chinese vaccines especially among women, children and youth.
