UAE sends 300,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to Comoros

Medical aid included 600,000 syringe needles

The UAE has sent 300,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Comoros to help curb the spread of the disease.

The UAE has sent 300,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses and 600,000 syringe needles to Comoros.

A plane loaded with the medical supplies was flown to the archipelago on Tuesday, state news agency Wam reported.

Saeed Al Maqbali, the UAE Ambassador to Comoros, said the mission underscored the Emirates’ support for its allies.

He said the supplies would help many Comorans, in particular the elderly and people with chronic diseases. About 850,000 people live in the archipelago, which lies off the eastern coast of Africa.

The UAE has already donated 300,000 vaccine doses to Comoros, which is one of the poorest countries in the world.

“In the past three months, the UAE has sent three aircraft loaded with 21.7 metric tonnes of medical supplies, in addition to an aircraft in April 2021 loaded with 43 metric tonnes of food aid,” Mr Al Maqbali said.

Comoros has recorded more than 4,000 Covid-19 cases and 147 deaths, the World Health Organisation has reported.

The country’s average annual wage is said to be about $600 to $700 (Dh2,203 to 2,570).

The UAE has delivered financial support to Comoros since 1979. In June, Abu Dhabi Fund for Development pledged Dh35 million to help.

In total, the Emirates has provided about 2,250 metric tonnes of aid to more than 136 countries.

This month, it sent a helicopter and a large quantity of firefighting equipment and civilian aid to Greece, which is battling forest fires.