Libya receives a batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines

TRIPOLI - Libya received a batch of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines on Monday amid the country's stepped-up effort to vaccinate as many people as possible.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Monday along with Health Minister Ali Zanati at the Mitiga International Airport of the capital Tripoli upon the arrival of the vaccines, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said another shipment of the vaccine is expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Dbeibah called on people to get vaccinated as soon as possible "as this is the only way to stop the virus."

Zanati said that the infection rate in his country has dropped from 68 percent to 24 percent thanks to the recently imposed protective measures against the virus, which include banning public gatherings and public transportation, and imposing a curfew.

The government has recently launched an "exceptional" vaccination campaign against COVID-19, under which people above the age of 18, whether Libyans or foreigners, can simply go to temporary vaccination centers to get vaccinated.

The country has registered a total of 256,328 COVID-19 cases so far, including 193,144 recoveries and 3,579 deaths, according to the National Center for Disease Control.