Iraq Receives COVID-19 Vaccine From China, Health Workers To Security Workers Are Prioritized

Illustrations. (Sam Moqadam / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Iraq received the first 50.000 doses of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine donated by China. Iraq is known to be struggling to cope with a new wave of disease.

The vaccine arrived at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq on Monday, March 1 evening local time, aboard an Iraqi military transport plane.

"We immediately request this delivery to coordinate with the Chinese embassy. We thank and appreciate China, for supporting the Iraqi people”, Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi told a reception ceremony, reported by Reuters.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health said that giving the COVID-19 vaccine will be prioritized for health workers, the elderly, and members of the security forces. Meanwhile, according to state television, the injection will start on Tuesday local time.

Hassan further explained that Iraq has an agreement with the Sinopharm Group to supply about 2 million doses of vaccine which will be sent in stages.

"In addition, Iraq also has an agreement to receive vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer", said Hassan.

Last month, Iraq recorded a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, including confirmed cases of one of the new variants of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Iraq is around 700.000, including 13.428 deaths as of March 1.

Iraq imposes a curfew to contain the spread of the disease, along with the increase in positive cases of COVID-19 after previously experiencing a decline.