Vucic Notes Absence Of COVAX Shipments While Meeting Jet With 1Mln Chinese Vaccine Doses

Vucic Notes Absence of COVAX Shipments While Meeting Jet With 1Mln Chinese Vaccine Doses

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday personally met in Belgrade a plane with the first 1 million doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine, praising effectiveness of bilateral deals with manufacturers and lamenting the absence of shipments via the international COVAX Facility

BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2021) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Saturday personally met in Belgrade a plane with the first 1 million doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine, praising effectiveness of bilateral deals with manufacturers and lamenting the absence of shipments via the international COVAX Facility.

The Serbian leader met the Air Serbia plane at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport together with Chinese Ambassador Chen Bo and Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar.

"We have not received yet a single vaccine dose through the COVAX mechanism. We have bilaterally ensured [supplies] through the Americans, through the Russians, and now thanks to [Chinese President] Xi Jinping received the largest amount of a vaccine," Vucic said at the airport.

According to the president, his country is the first in Europe to receive such a large shipment of the Sinopharm vaccine. Vucic noted that Belgrade had contributed several million Euros to the COVAX facility, but, like other countries in the region, had not received a single dose via it.

The Chinese COVID-19 vaccine is expected to first receive a temporary authorization from the Serbian regulator, as was the case with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Russia's Sputnik V, and will be later reviewed for permanent approval.