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Only 10 percent of the 44 million population inoculated in nearly six months of vaccination campaign
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The country will also manufacture Russian vaccine Sputnik V locally from September
After the Russian Sputnik V, Sinovac will become the second Covid-19 vaccine to be manufactured locally in Algeria, which has been hit by a rising number of cases and whose only 10 percent of the population has been vaccinated so far.
Chinese experts arrived Friday to inspect equipment destined for a factory in Constantine, in eastern Algeria, a statement from the pharmaceutical industry ministry said.
Russian vaccine Sputnik V is to be produced locally from September, according to authorities.
The Pasteur Institute of Algeria announced on Saturday that it had received 2.4 million doses of Sinovac, bringing the total number of doses of all vaccines received so far by the country to nearly 6 million.
The figure also includes Sputnik V, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca supplies.
But barely 10 percent of Algeria’s population of 44 million has so far been inoculated against Covid-19, nearly six months into its vaccination campaign.
The health minister said last month that the country had placed orders for 30 million doses with various producers.
Algeria has so far officially recorded over 160,800 coronavirus infections, including more than 4,000 deaths.
On Friday it recorded its highest number of daily infections yet, with 1,350 cases, driven by the Delta variant, which threatens to overwhelm hospitals.