Dominica: Melissa Skerrit receives the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine

Roseau, Dominica: Melissa Skerrit- the wife of the Prime Minister of Dominica and Member of Parliament from Roseau Central, received the first dose of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday morning.

Dominica's Minister for the Digital Economy Cassani Laville also received the first jab of Sinopharm vaccine.

Mrs Melissa Skerrit have become the first person on the island to receive the Sinopharm vaccine which would soon be used to immunise the wider population of the country. While Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit and President Charles Savarin had received the Oxford Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine.

Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit applauded the arrival of 20,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from the People's Republic of China and stated that Chinese President Xi Jin Ping had promised the country assistance during the pandemic.

"Once again, China has proven to be a good and reliable friend to developing countries like Dominica," added PM Skerrit.

He stated that the country is well on track to vaccinate around 70% of its population by the end of summer 2021. He added that things could have been a lot different without the help of friends like China.

He recalled the beginning of the pandemic and stated when the world was thriving to get masks and PPE kits, China came to assist Dominica and facilitated the requirements.

Dominican Prime Minister stated that 57 countries across the world from Asia, the Middle-East, Africa, and some parts of Europe are administrating the use of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

The Beijing Institute of Biological Products created an inactivated coronavirus vaccine called BBIBP-CorV earlier in 2020. Medical examinations run by the state-owned company Sinopharm showed that it had an efficacy rate of 79 percent. China supported the vaccine and soon started shipping it to other nations.

Minister of health and wellness and new health investment Dr. Irvin McIntyre listed down the benefits of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. He also stated that the Sinopharm vaccine comes in a syringe.

Besides this, he stated that the second dose of the vaccine can be taken within 12 weeks of receiving the first jab.