Zimbabwe spends US$40 million on Covid-19 vaccines

Harare (New Ziana)-Zimbabwe on Thursday took delivery of 2 million doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine from China as government fights to ease shortages and step up vaccinations amid surging infections.

On Wednesday alone, the country reported 2,264 new cases and 34 deaths.

So far, US$40 million has been used in their procurement.

So far, Zimbabwe has bought 3,7 million shots while 560 000 doses have been donated by China, India and Russia.

Speaking after receiving the Sinovac doses at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport Health and Child Care deputy Minister iDr John Mangwiro said; “The arrival of these two million doses will see the roll out going into top gear”.

He added: “I have been moving around the country, l was in Mashonaland West over the weekend and the uptake is massive. The Minister of Finance has assured us more vaccines are coming”.

Dr Manwgiro encouraged citizens to continue going for vaccination.

“We are also recognising that colleges and universities will be points of vaccination. This extend to tobacco auction floors, market stalls and largely everywhere where people meet,” he said.

He encouraged people with underlying ailments to continue taking their medication despite being vaccinated.

“Being vaccinated does not stop you from treatment for other ailments such as hypertension, HIV and AIDS or Cancer.”

The country expects another 1.5 million doses of Covid19 vaccines while a further 2 million will be delivered at the end of July.

New Ziana