China to donate 300k COVID-19 vaccine doses to Sri Lanka

China will donate 300,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinopharm to Sri Lanka, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said.

China and Sri Lanka enjoy historical friendship and have always been strongly supporting each other including the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said. 

“Responding to recent request by the Sri Lankan government, China has decided to donate 300k coronavirus vaccine doses to Sri Lanka to jointly fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, although the production capacity of the vaccine is still limited compared with the huge domestic and international demand.” 

The vaccine doses are expected to be handed over to Sri Lankan side in mid-February after the due procedures in both ends are completed. 

The vaccine is manufactured by the China National Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd (Sinopharm), a leading vaccine manufacturer in the world with the revenue of nearly RMB yuan 400 billion (US dollar 62 billion) in 2018. 

The Sinopharm vaccine has already passed the phase three trials in several countries with 79-86% effective at preventing COVID-19 infection, 99.52% neutralizing antibodies and 100% preventing severe and moderate disease, the embassy said. As an inactivated vaccine, it better ensures the safety of vaccinees, and could be easily stored and transported at a regular fridge temperature (2-8 degrees Celsius). 

The vaccine has received approval for public use in the UAE, Serbia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan and China etc. By 26th January, over 20 million Sinopharm doses have been administered across the world with no reports of serious adverse reactions, the statement added. 

Foreign state leaders including the Seychelles President, Bahrain Prime Minister, Jordan Prime Minister, the UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Serbian Health Minister etc have received the jabs. 

The Embassy extended its most sincere solidarity and best wishes to the Sri Lankan people, and reiterate China’s commitment to jointly build a community of shared future for mankind.