Zimbabwe Receives First Donation of Vaccines From China

Zimbabwe will start its COVID-19 vaccination this week as the first shipment of Sinopharm vaccines donated by China arrived on Monday at the capital Harare.

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These 200 000 doses will be administered to frontline health workers, and another 600 000 Sinopharm doses are expected in March. "The vaccine offers the possibility that our people who have borne the brunt of the economic ravages of the pandemic might finally turn a new page,” Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said upon the arrival.

On the other hand president, Emerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa said via Twitter that the country would carry its COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the support of China, Russia, the U.K., and India. This as authorities extended the national lockdown for two more weeks amid an upsurge in COVID-19 cases.

Africa is far behind on the vaccination drive since its countries have to struggle with funding to purchase the vaccines, the inequality of the distribution, and the capacity to properly store them, among other challenges. The World Health  Organization (WHO) denounced that only 25 doses out of the first 39 million were allocated to Africa and administered in Guinea.   

On January 22, the  WHO called the international community to support African countries amid a devastating scenario. "It is deeply unjust that the most vulnerable Africans are forced to wait for vaccines while lower-risk groups in rich countries are made safe," WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement.