Tunisia receives new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China

Tunisian Health Minister Ali Mrabet (2nd R) and Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Zhang Jianguo (3rd R) exchange documents of China's donation of COVID-19 vaccines in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 22, 2022. Tunisia received Tuesday a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

TUNIS, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia received Tuesday a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation arrived at El Aouina Airport in Tunisia's capital Tunis, in the presence of Tunisian Health Minister Ali Mrabet and the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Zhang Jianguo.

"Thanks to enormous efforts made by the Tunisian authorities, with the support of certain friendly countries, particularly our Chinese friends, we have been able to curb the current wave of the COVID-19," Mrabet said.

For his part, the Chinese diplomat said that China has supplied a new batch of vaccines to help Tunisia fight against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and built a "Great Wall of Immunity" to defeat the pandemic.

Zhang said that the Sino-Tunisian anti-pandemic cooperation has been deepening and consolidating in the past year, adding that on March 25, 2021, the first batch of Chinese vaccines arrived in Tunisia, which makes China the first country to offer vaccines to the North African country. 

A batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China arrives at an airport in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 22, 2022. Tunisia received Tuesday a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

A worker prepares to transfer a batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China at an airport in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 22, 2022. Tunisia received Tuesday a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)

Workers prepare to transfer a batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China at an airport in Tunis, Tunisia, on Feb. 22, 2022. Tunisia received Tuesday a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua)