DRC receives a batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines

Health Minister of DRC Jean-Jacques Mbungani (3rd R, front) and Chinese Ambassador to the DRC Zhu Jing (2nd R, front) attend a handover ceremony in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sept. 29, 2021. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday received a batch of Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines offered by the Chinese government at the N'djili Airport in the capital city Kinshasa. (Photo by Alain Uyakani/Xinhua)

KINSHASA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Wednesday received a batch of Chinese Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines offered by the Chinese government at the N'djili Airport in the capital city Kinshasa.

In a hand-over ceremony at the airport in the presence of the Chinese Ambassador to the DRC Zhu Jing and several officials of the DRC, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani welcomed the initiative of the Chinese people as the donation will be used to vaccinate the Congolese people across the country.

"Receiving this donation is very important for our country because it will help us fight the COVID-19 effectively. We are happy that the Chinese government is coming to support our fight against the pandemic by increasing our batch of vaccines, "said the minister.

Mbungani took the opportunity to call on his people to get vaccinated to better fight against the virus, highlighting the reliability of the Sinovac vaccine produced in China.

According to the minister, the Chinese vaccine, which is recognized worldwide, will effectively help the Congolese to protect themselves against the disease that has killed more than 4 million people worldwide.

Chinese ambassador Zhu Jing said China will continue to offer support to the DRC until total eradication of the virus in the central African country.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, China has been on the DRC's side in the joint fight against COVID-19. The virus knows no borders. It is our common enemy of humanity. We will continue to support the DRC until the very end," he said.

"The batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates once again the solidarity of the Chinese people with the Congolese people. We hope these vaccines can help the DRC's government save more lives in the country. And I call on the Congolese people to get vaccinated, which is crucial for the fight against the virus," he said.

Since the beginning of the pandemic declared on March 10, 2020, the DRC has reported 56,862 confirmed cases, including 1,084 deaths.