HAVANA, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban government on Friday donated some 240,000 doses of home-grown COVID-19 vaccines to Syria to help it fight the pandemic.
Attending a donation ceremony at Jose Marti International Airport here, Ana Teresita Gonzalez, Cuba's first deputy minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, said the past two years have once again demonstrated the importance of multilateralism, solidarity and international cooperation in tackling global challenges.
"The emergence of new variants of the virus and the unequal distribution of vaccines will make it more difficult for the world to recover in the immediate future from social and economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.
Syrian Ambassador to Cuba Idris Mayya, who also attended the ceremony, thanked Cuban authorities for the donation, saying, "I want to express my deep gratitude to all Cuban scientists, doctors and experts who have delivered (vaccines) for Cuba and the humankind alike."
Cuba has fully vaccinated more than 86 percent of its population of 11 million with home-grown vaccines. Over 20 percent of Cuban nationals have so far received a booster shot.
The country is seeking approval from the World Health Organization of its home-grown vaccines. ■
