The governor highlighted that in the whole vaccine acquisition process there has been a lot of health diplomacy and China has been a strategic partner of Angola in the fight against covid-19, recalling the donations of biosafety materials and equipment from the Asian country.
"As part of that strategic partnership we were also offered 200,000 doses of vaccine. A very good vaccine that has an efficacy of 79 percent, in some countries a little higher and that already has good results, in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, in several countries and in China itself," said the minister.
The Angolan Health Minister pointed out that the vaccine was manufactured by a Beijing Biology Institute, recognized worldwide for its ability not only to produce vaccines, but also to produce reagents for the diagnosis of covid-19.
According to the minister, these vaccines will be used in some provinces, under the National Vaccination Plan, whose goal, in the first stage, is to vaccinate people over 40 years old, with comorbidities, high exposure to infection by the new coronavirus, defense and security forces, and "two or three provinces" should be defined to make use of this vaccine.
"In our strategy, we have individuals over 40 years old, but even so for the amount of vaccines we have been defining the priority of priorities. It is a vaccine that has arrived and that will make for a good exercise in the fight against covid-19 and we will even define one or two provinces in which we will vaccinate all the people in the first stage group," she said.
Silvia Lutucuta stressed that there is forecast to receive more vaccines, taking into account that there are purchases from the state that are in progress, as well as from the Covax initiative.
"We go after all the vaccines that have proven efficacy, safety, and approved at the international level either by the WHO [World Health Organization] or those that have been approved for emergency use in countries that have had good results," she stressed.
Sinopharm is approved for emergency use in several countries, the minister informed, stressing that, for this reason, "it is a good vaccine and has already shown to give good results."
"This vaccine has two very important aspects: conservation is easy, from two to eight degrees, we have a cold network in our country with these temperatures at the national level, even in the municipalities we also have; and, on the other hand, there are two doses," added the minister, calling attention to the fact that people who have already caught the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine will continue immunization with the same type.
"Once you have been vaccinated with one type of vaccine you have to keep the same vaccine, we mean that whoever gets the Sinopharm vaccine the second dose has to be from Sinopharm, whoever gets it from AstraZeneca the second dose has to be from AstraZeneca," she explained.
This is the second dose of vaccines that Angola receives, after the 624 thousand doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, which it received earlier this month under the Covax initiative, launched by WHO to ensure greater equity in vaccine distribution.
Silvia Lutucuta was speaking to the press at the ceremony to receive the vaccines, which was also attended by the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Communities, Domingos Vieira Lopes, and the Chinese ambassador in Luanda, Gong Tao.
In turn, the Chinese ambassador in Angola, Gong Toao, said that the donation of the vaccines is another example of cooperation between the two governments to support the Angolan people, "with one more weapon, a shield", against covid-19, stressing that Beijing is always available to support the Angolan side in the fight against the pandemic.
"We always put the importance of life, of health, of our people, of our peoples, first," said Gong Tao, highlighting the strong leadership of the Angolan government, particularly the President, João Lourenço, and the Ministry of Health.
The vaccination process in the country has been going at a good pace. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in the country, on March 2, until Wednesday, 87,022 people have been vaccinated.
The vaccination, which is already underway in Luanda, Cabinda and Benguela, was extended to the provinces of Huambo and Huila on Wednesday, March 24.
According to a note published on Facebook by the Ministry of Health, the province of Huambo received 38,000 doses whilst Huíla received 32,000 doses. The remaining doses will be delivered in phases.
The note said that the first people vaccinated in Huambo were Lotti Nolika, provincial governor, and the vice-governors.
For now, health professionals, teachers, elderly people over 65 years old with comorbidities, members of the country's defense and security bodies and people over 18 years old with chronic renal failure are being prioritized.
In the capital, the vaccines are being administered at the Osvaldo Serra Van-Dúnem Institute of Police Sciences, the Paz Flor Tourist Center, the Special Economic Zone, the Mutu-ya-Kevela Primary Magisterium, and the Upper City Garden.
