Concerning China, Le Monde published an article in its international section about the arrival in Zimbabwe of 200,000 doses of the New Crown vaccine, a gift from China.
Zimbabwe, a southern African country with a very poor economy and health system, received on Monday, February 15, the first 200,000 doses of the New Crown vaccine, donated by the China National Pharmaceutical Group.
The valuable New Crown vaccines, presented by China National Pharmaceutical Group, arrived by plane at the airport in the country’s capital, Harare, under the protection of tarpaulins, said a report by Le Monde, citing an AFP correspondent. The vaccines were transported by the only plane in Zimbabwe, an Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767. Former President Robert Mugabe often used the plane to travel abroad for medical tests or treatment.
Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga went to the airport to greet the arrival of these Chinese vaccines, saying at the airport, “We will not forget that China responded quickly when there was a need.” The Zimbabwean vice president also said it was a “timely” donation and further proof of the long-standing “friendship and solidarity” between the two countries.
AFP said the Chinese gift of the new crown vaccine still needs to be inspected by local drug regulators before it can be used.
AFP also said Zimbabwe is the first country in southern Africa to receive the Chinese New Crown vaccine. The effectiveness of the Chinese vaccine against a variant of the virus that has spread widely in Zimbabwe’s neighboring South Africa has not yet been publicly disclosed.
Zimbabwe’s finance minister (Mthuli Ncube), who also went to the airport on Monday to greet the vaccine, said, “Next month, we will acquire another 600,000 doses from China. The vaccine program will continue until we have a target of 1.8 million doses.”
The AFP report also noted that the Zimbabwean government is also in talks with other pharmaceutical companies about vaccines, including Russian vaccines. Zimbabwe is aiming for 10 million people to be vaccinated with the new crown vaccine, which is about two-thirds of Zimbabwe’s total population, to achieve herd immunity.
Zimbabwe’s economy is in shambles, but the government has nonetheless set aside a $100 million budget on the vaccination program, which will be free for Zimbabweans. Official figures say more than 35,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in Zimbabwe, and 1,400 of them have died. The second wave of the Epidemic hitting Zimbabwe was more intense than the first, and the government imposed another lockdown last month, along with a curfew that ran from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
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