China donates Monday COVID-19 vaccines to Zimbabwe as the country starts on its mass vaccination campaign, The People news agency reports. In a televised national address on Monday, Mnangagwa said the donation by China will go a long way in aiding Zimbabwe’s fight against the epidemic.
The Sinopharm vaccine will be available for all Zimbabweans after China has donated one million doses. That is enough to inoculate at least 500,000 people including frontline workers, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.
Last month, China last week pledged to donate an additional 200,000 Sinopharm COVID-19 doses in additional to 200,000 doses received in Zimbabwe. Another 600,000 doses bought from the Chinese plant are expected in the country this month.
“On behalf of the government and the people of Zimbabwe, I once again express my profound gratitude to the president of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, the government and people of China for the additional donation of 200,000 doses of vaccines made to Zimbabwe just last week,” president said.
Mnangagwa said the generous gift by China will greatly contribute to Zimbabwe’s quest to achieve herd immunity. In addition, President announced a relaxation of a coronavirus lockdown imposed in January to curb the spread of the novel pathogen.
As of Monday night, corona infection has killed 1,463 people in Zimbabwe and affected 36,089 people since March last year.
