BAGHDAD: Iraq began coronavirus vaccinations on Tuesday, inoculating medical staff hours after a military plane brought in 50,000 Sinopharm jabs donated by China.

The campaign was launched as Iraq battles a second wave of Covid-19 infections, with more than 4,600 new cases a day, and ahead of a three-day visit by Pope Francis from Friday.

“The vaccines arrived overnight and we immediately distributed them to health centres and began the vaccinations,” Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi told AFP on site at Baghdad’s Medical City hospital compound.

Aside from health workers, security forces and the elderly will be first to receive the free-of-charge vaccine, his ministry said on a citizens’ registration platform which, however, was not functional on Tuesday.

The public health infrastructure in Iraq, a country of 40 million, has been severely worn down by decades of war, under-investment and corruption. The health ministry has said it agreed with the Chinese ambassador in Baghdad to purchase another two million Sinopharm doses, but provided no details on the cost or the timing.

Iraqi authorities said in January they had approved three vaccines for use, but there have been repeated delays and contradictory statements from health authorities. The health ministry said Tuesday it was expecting to receive a total of 16 million jabs through the global Covax scheme, through which wealthy nations are meant to allocate vaccines for poorer countries. That figure appeared to be based on Covax’s pledge that, subject to funding, it could help poorer countries vaccinate 20 percent of their populations — or eight million people in Iraq.