New shipment of half a million Chinese coronavirus vaccine arrives in Serbia

A new shipment of Chinese coronavirus vaccines, produced by Sinopharm, has been delivered to Serbia.

According to previous announcements, it consists of 500,000 doses.

The plane with vaccines was greeted at the airport in Belrade by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

"We have welcomed another shipment of Chinese vaccines, we have received a total of 2.5 million vaccines from China so far. We have just under a million of all other vaccines. Tomorrow, when another 106,000 Pfizer doses arrive, we will have provided more than 3.5 million vaccines," said Brnabic.

"At this point, we have about 26 percent of adult citizens vaccinated with one dose, 20 percent received the second. The goal is to have about 40 percent of people vaccinated with at least the first dose by the end of this month. In the 65 to 74 age group, over 51 percent have been been vaccinated," she added.

"I hope that the new shipment of Chinese vaccines will additionally help build the immunity wall in Serbia," said Chinese Ambassador Chen Bo.

As the prime minister of Serbia said, at this moment, administering a third dose of the vaccine is not being considered in Serbia.

Prime Minister Brnabic also stated today that, when it comes to the procurement of vitamins that will be distributed to pensioners, the most important thing is to buy as many vitamins as possible while spending the least possible funds, which, she pointed out, is being done this time as well.

"And just as the claims that somebody was (unfairly) participating in the price of the Covid hospital were terrible and monstrous, so are insinuations that someone would do the same when it comes to the price of vitamins. To me, that's crazy and insane. I couldn't even think of something like that," said Brnabic, when asked whether the vitamins had to be bought urgently and whether there was a conflict of interest, because, it was said, the offer came from a man who said the president was his friend.

Brnabic said that the topic is thus again shifted onto a field that should not come first - instead it should be the safety and health of citizens and care for them, especially the elderly.

She also stated that there are not many producers of vitamins in Serbia, neither those who sell them, nor those who are present in the market, and that she can hardly imagine that critics of this campaign would not have seen a conflict of interest regardless from whom the vitamins were procured.

"This is a relatively small country, everyone knows each other, but when people start to bring up side ties, anyone could be linked with anyone," said Brnabic.

"And, does Aleksandar Vucic know somebody... well, he knows a million people, I don't know what that proves," Brnabic added.

(Telegraf.rs)