Saudi Gazette report

MANAMA — A total of 300,000 doses of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Bahrain on Friday, Bahrain's Health Minister Faeqa Bint Saeed Al-Saleh announced in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency.

"This morning Gulf Air offloaded 300,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China in support of the national vaccination campaign, its largest-ever vaccine shipment," The minister said, adding: "To date, the kingdom has vaccinated 312,104 individuals."

The minister noted that Bahrain has mobilized all of its resources to safeguard public health and promote high immunization rates by making vaccines approved by the WHO and authorized by the National Health Regulatory Authority available early and free of charge.

She highlighted ongoing efforts to expedite the vaccine administration process and expand the reach of the national vaccination campaign by promoting confidence and uptake.

The health minister expressed her appreciation for the support extended by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also the country's prime minister.

She also thanked the Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain, Dr. An Wa'er, for the role he played in helping Bahrain secure vaccines in spite of strict supply constraints.

In return, the ambassador welcomed heightened cooperation between the two nations in addressing the global spread of the virus and underlined China's commitment to meet Bahrain's vaccine demands as part of bilateral cooperation.