CAIRO: According to a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Egypt on Monday, China and Egypt have provided 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Palestine to aid in the fight against the pandemic.

According to reports, the vaccines were locally produced in Egypt through a partnership between Egypt's Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA) and Sinovac, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, according to Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Egypt's acting health and higher education minister, who attended a ceremony marking the donation at VACSERA's headquarters on Sunday.

"We congratulate the delivery of a batch of aid to our Palestinian brothers in the Gaza Strip as a joint present from China and Egypt," Abdel-Ghaffar was quoted as saying in the statement.

Egypt has produced more than 30 million doses of the vaccine so far, with its safety and efficacy assured, he said, adding that Egypt has worked closely with China since the outbreak began.

"This batch of aid to Palestine is the first time Egypt has sent its locally made Covid-19 vaccinations outside of Egypt," he noted.

The Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, Liao Liqiang, who was also present at the ceremony, described the joint donation as a "new and crucial step" in cooperation between the Chinese and Egyptian governments to aid Palestinians in Gaza in fighting the pandemic and alleviating the humanitarian crisis there.

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