Ethiopia receives first batch of Chinese vaccine

China has joined the global race to distribute its COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac as 300,000 doses arrived Monday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The arrival of the Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane from Beijing was met by Ethiopian Health Minister Lia Tadesse and China's Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan.

Before delivering statements to the media, a banner reading "Through solidarity, we will prevail" was unfurled as a backdrop to the news briefing.

"President Xi was second to none to pledge that China will make its vaccines a global public good, thus improving vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries," said Zhao Zhiyuan.

Tadesse applauded the donation by China saying she was "grateful to receive this donation" and it will "support and augment the coverage of our population in terms of insuring the controls of this pandemic and reducing morbidity and mortality."

The Sinovac vaccine works by introducing dead viral particles to expose the immune system to the disease without risking serious illness.

(Image Credit: AP)