Health Ministry receives first batch of Covid-19 vaccines provided by COVAX

Damascus, SANA- The Health Ministry received on Thursday the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines provided by the World Health Data Platform (COVAX). The batch consists of 203 thousand doses.

Minister of Health, Dr. Hassan al-Ghobash, said during a press conference at the Ministry’s building ” within the framework of what will be supplied to Syria through the COVAX platform, which aims to secure the vaccine in 92 “low-income” countries within the multilateral mechanism to ensure that vaccines arrive fairly and the global distribution of these vaccines, and in due course, today we receive the first batch of Covid-19 vaccine, which amounts to 203,000 doses.”

Al-Ghobash underlined the importance of the international community’s work to provide the vaccine and mitigate the effects of the pandemic through a coordinated global response based on multilateral cooperation, solidarity and respect for human rights.

The Minister stressed the importance of the role that international organizations can play to support Syria’s stance, which demands lifting the unilateral Western coercive measures that hinder the provision of basic health services, especially in light of the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the financial challenges that developing countries, including Syria, are facing in this crisis.

He stressed the need for continued cooperation and coordination to complete the supply of the vaccine to Syria in a timely manner to ensure the effective implementation of the national plan for vaccination against Covid-19 pandemic, which primarily targets health workers on the frontlines, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

Al-Ghobash expressed Syria’s thanks to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for their efforts during the past months to secure the arrival of vaccines to Syria.

He hailed the efforts of the Indian Ambassador in Damascus Hifzur Rahman, and the support provided by his country to accelerate the production and supply of this quantity of vaccines, expressing Syria’s aspiration to strengthen and consolidate cooperation between the two countries.

Ruaa al-Jazaeri