China-donated COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Afghanistan

A batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan on Thursday.

Photo taken on June 10, 2021 shows packages of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arriving at the Hamid Kazia International Airport in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. A batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rahmatullah Alizadah)

The shipment of Sinopharm vaccines are the first Chinese donation of the COVID-19 vaccine Afghanistan has received.

Afghanistan has administered about 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of early May, largely to frontline healthcare workers, security forces members, journalists, and teachers.

Amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections, currently the war-torn Asian country is suffering a vaccine shortage. The Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday announced it had run out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Afghanistan recorded 1,822 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, raising the total tally to 87,716, the ministry said.

To combat COVID-19, the ministry has repeatedly urged the Afghan people to wear a face mask in crowded places, practice physical distancing and keep personal hygiene.