Last batch of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, medical equipment, mobile laboratory vehicles donated by China arrives in Yangon

The People’s Republic of China has donated 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 13 million sets of syrings to Myanmar, and the last batch of the donation arrived at the Yangon International Airport by Sichuan Airlines yesterday morning. In addition, two mobile laboratory vehicles donated by the Chinese Embassy arrived at Yangon via Muse border gate yesterday.
The handover ceremony of the donated vaccines, equipment, and the mobile laboratory vehicles, was held yesterday morning at the Yangon International Airport, attended by Union Minister for Health Dr Thet Khaing Win, Ambassador of China to Myanmar Mr Chen Hai, and Yangon Region Chief Minister U Soe Thein.
At the ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador said that donation showed the spirit of Sino-Myanmar community in the fight against the pandemic, as well as it was a further implementation of the “China-ASEAN Health Shield” cooperation proposal of the President of the People’s Republic of China. He said the Myanmar Centres for Disease Control (CDC) project would help build Myanmar’s public health system and capacity to respond to public health emergencies.
The Union Minister for Health said China donated about 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Myanmar; The donated vaccines will be given to students from 5 to 12 years of age in the soon-to-be-reopened primary schools and will continue to be given to out-of-school children. He said the mobile laboratories will be used mainly at border crossings where there is no COVID-19 RT-PCR machine, and as the COVID-19 control and preventive measures will be effectively implemented in these areas, it will be very useful for the re-development of the border trade sector.
The Myanmar Centre of Disease Control (CDC) which is important in Myanmar’s epidemic control is being set up in Nay Pyi Taw, and the assistance of the Chinese government has been very helpful to Myanmar, the Union Minister continued. The centre will be able to serve as an international recognition centre not only locally but also internationally.
He said COVID-19 vaccination is being carried out nationwide and the incidence rate is now below 1 % and he decided to do further friendly cooperation under the leadership of the leaders of the two countries.
Afterwards, the Union Minister and the Ambassador cordially discussed matters related to cooperation in the health sector of the two countries. They also discussed the Sino-Myanmar border malaria eradication project and the animal disease laboratory project.—MNA