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

QUITO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador on Tuesday received a new batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China.

Ecuador's Vice President Alfredo Borrero, Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguin, Vice Minister of Public Health Miguel Moreira and Chinese Ambassador to Ecuador Chen Guoyou attended the handover ceremony held at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito.

"We are receiving 2.5 million doses from China," said Borrero, who, on behalf of President Guillermo Lasso, thanked China for contributing to the success of Ecuador's immunization plan.

Meanwhile, Holguin said the new batch of Chinese vaccines will be used to immunize children aged 3-5.

The vaccines symbolizes the great friendship and fraternity between China and Ecuador, said the foreign minister.

For his part, Chen said the donation is a sign that China honors the commitments to help Ecuador fight the pandemic. "Today's delivery is obviously a great testimony that the Chinese government is a strategic partner and a reliable friend of the Andean country," the ambassador noted.

According to the Ecuadorian Health Ministry, since Ecuador's national vaccination plan was initiated in January 2021, over 13.9 million people in the country have completed their two-dose vaccination, representing about 83 percent of the targeted population.