WARSAW, March 1 (Reuters) - Polish President Andrzej Duda
has talked with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about buying
the Chinese COVID-19 shot, his aide told state-run news agency
PAP on Monday, as the country looked for ways to speed up
vaccination of its residents.
While the Sinopharm vaccine has not yet received
European Union regulatory approval, Hungary last week became the
first member state to start using the shot in a bid to
accelerate its vaccination programme.
"At the request of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the
president also raised the question of Polish-Chinese cooperation
in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, including the
possibility of Poland purchasing vaccines produced in China,"
PAP quoted Szczerski as saying.
Szczerski said any potential purchase would be subject to
further talks.
A government spokesman did not respond to a Reuters request
for comment.
Like other EU countries, Poland's vaccination programme has
been hampered by delays in deliveries from producers like
AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish, Joanna Plucinska and Pawel
Florkiewicz; Editing by Catherine Evans and Bernadette Baum)
Astrazeneca (AZN)