Bolivia to begin mass vaccination with Chinese Sinopharm vaccines

LA PAZ - Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Bolivia on Wednesday for the largest vaccination drive ever in the Latin American country.

"Bolivia now has the vaccines. We have the solution ... Now we are going to vaccinate everyone," Bolivian President Luis Arce said at Viru Viru International Airport, where a plane carrying the vaccines from Beijing landed in the morning.

Arce also announced that the nationwide vaccination campaign will begin on Thursday, noting that the elderly and people with underlying health conditions will be given priority.

Chinese Ambassador to Bolivia Huang Yazhong highlighted the good relations between the two countries on the arrival of the vaccines.

"We worked very hard, day and night, so that these supplies could arrive. We have overcome many difficulties," he said.

Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration Benjamin Blanco also said that the arrival of the Sinopharm vaccines is the result of efforts at all levels and the reflection of the "excellent diplomatic relationship between Bolivia and China."

Bolivia has so far reported 244,380 cases of the novel coronavirus since March 2020.