Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for assisting in the country’s fight against COVID-19 as China has donated about 200,000 doses of the two-shot Sinopharm vaccine, reported CGTN Africa.
The Sinopharm vaccine is approved in China for general public use and is also being administered in a number of other countries.
In a televised address to the nation, Mnangagwa gave an update on the country’s progress in the fight to stop the spread of the virus. He thanked Chinese leader Xi Jinping for taking a leading role in contributing to Zimbabwe’s national vaccine deployment strategy that would see at least 9 million people – 60% of the population – being inoculated.
“This kind gesture attests to the fact that China is indeed a true friend of Zimbabwe,” the Zimbabwean president said.
The coronavirus pandemic has increased rapidly in Zimbabwe over the past few weeks. The Southern African country had recorded 33,964 COVID-19 infections with 1,269 deaths by Thursday.
In his address, President Mnangagwa noted that his government has set aside funds to acquire vaccines to help stop the further spread of the virus in the country. He announced that the vaccination jabs would be free for all Zimbabweans, and would be rolled out soon.
“As such, COVID-19 vaccines which have been scientifically ascertained to be safe, will soon be introduced,” he said. “These will be state-funded and free.”
The Zimbabwean president said the first phase of inoculation will see frontline workers, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions being prioritized.
He urged the people of the country to continue adhering to COVID-19 preventative and safety measures even after being inoculated.
On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced that Zimbabwe will be among the first three African countries to receive the COVID-19 vaccines from China, alongside 11 other developing countries.
