The Chinese government has announced the donation of 470,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria.
The donation was made to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, in Abuja on Friday.
Speaking during the occasion, Jianchun said the decision to assist Nigeria was due to the good relationship between both countries, stressing that efforts to eradicate the pandemic requires global collaborations as China is committed to the course.
While warning against politicizing issues surrounding COVID-19 or blaming China for the outbreak, the Ambassador said Nigeria is a very important country to China due to its population and size.
Responding, Ehanire said the donation came at a very good time as Nigeria had stopped vaccinating its citizens on the 8th of July due to a lack of vaccines.
He therefore called for continuous collaboration and exchange of information on ways to eliminate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said the country has a total of 170,623 cases, out of which 164,780 persons have been discharged, while 2,131 deaths have been recorded as at Friday, July 23, 2021.