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Relief for Zimbabwe as it receives its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine

The government of Zimbabwe has received its first 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, donated by China to combat the virus, according to a BBC report.

Relief for Zimbabwe as it receives its first batch of Covid-19 vaccine

The government took delivery of the consignment on Monday morning in an Air Zimbabwe flight from the Chinese ambassador to the country.

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It is reported that an additional 600,000 doses ordered by the Zimbabwean government are expected to arrive in March.

The BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in Harare says that the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths has fallen by more than 90% after six weeks of lockdown, which is due to end on Monday. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to address the nation.

Just like other countries, Zimbabwe has suffered its share of devastation by the Covid-19 pandemic. Three cabinet ministers have died from the virus that has infected 35,172 people so far, according to data from the Health Ministry.

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Meanwhile, the country’s neighbour, South Africa where a coronavirus variant has caused an increase in cases has reportedly suspended vaccination with the AstraZeneca jab.

The suspension follows a small-scale study that suggested that the vaccine had low efficacy against the new variant of the deadly virus.

The World Health Organization’s vaccine experts and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)have however urged countries that have the coronavirus mutation first discovered in South Africa to continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine.

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