Brunei receives Covid-19 vaccine donation from China

Bandar Seri Begawan, Feb 11 : Brunei’s Ministry of Health said in a press release on Wednesday that the country received a batch of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine donated by China on Tuesday and is reviewing a vaccination program.
In March 2020, at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Brunei provided assistance to China, which underscored the close bilateral cooperation towards managing the pandemic, the ministry said.
The ministry said they are still reviewing the plans for the distribution of the vaccine in accordance with the recommended priorities, the Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the Chinese embassy in Brunei, the sultanate’s Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Haji Erywan attended the handover ceremony on Tuesday and held a discussion with Yu Hong, Chinese ambassador to Brunei.
Haji Erywan expressed his gratitude to China, saying that this is the first batch of Covid-19 vaccine received by Brunei, which is considered a gift given by the Chinese people to the people of Brunei, reflecting the long-term traditional friendship and deep mutual trust between the two countries.
He said that the Chinese vaccine would play an important role for Brunei to overcome the epidemic. Brunei is willing to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations as an opportunity to promote bilateral relations and China-ASEAN relations to a new level, he added.