Azerbaijan provides 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca to Uzbekistan

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan provided Uzbekistan 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, as part of the global COVAX program, with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy and UNICEF Office in Uzbekistan on July 16.

The vaccines were delivered by the government delegation  headed by Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev.

The vaccines were handed over to the Sanitary-Epidemiological Center and Public Health Center of Uzbekistan's Health Ministry at the airport. Azerbaijani Ambassador to Uzbekistan Husein Guliyev was also present at the handover of vaccines to the Uzbek side.

The Azerbaijani delegation will also participate in the "Central and South Asia" Regional Interaction. Challenges and Opportunities" conference to be held in Tashkent on July 16.

Azerbaijan earlier announced that it would provide 40,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Kyrgyzstan as part of the humanitarian aid in the fight against COVID-19.

The  government allocated $1.1bn from the 2020 budget to fight coronavirus infection. 

Azerbaijan started vaccinating citizens using China’s Sinovac on January 18, Vaxzevria vaccine produced by AstraZeneca on May 3, Russia’s Sputnik V on May 18 and US-produced Pfizer on June 7. The country started offering COVID-19 vaccination to citizens aged over 18 from May 10. The nationwide vaccination is free and on a voluntary basis and is in line with the “Strategy of vaccination against COVID-19 in Azerbaijan for 2021-2022”.