Zimbabwe Officially Authorizes The Use Of Four Vaccines

Following the procurement of the Sinopharm Covid-19 Vaccine from China last month the government of Zimbabwe has further authorized the use of three more vaccines in the fight against the global pandemic Covid-19.

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe yesterday officially authorized the use of Sinopharm and Sinovac shots from China, Russia’s Sputnik V, and India’s Covaxin, as the vaccines that will be used to vaccinate people against Covid-19.

This development comes after the Cabinet yesterday approved the start of the second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination exercise.

Speaking during a post-Cabinet briefing last night, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said private companies intending to buy vaccines for their employees should only procure those that have been authorized in Zimbabwe.

“All those intending to procure vaccines for their employees must procure only registered vaccines in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development will be purchasing the vaccines on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe. Cabinet would also like to unveil the guidelines for the procurement and administration of Covid-19 vaccines by the Private Sector in Zimbabwe,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa unveiled that guidelines for the procurement and administration of the authorized vaccines by the Private sector.

She revealed that all Covid-19 approved vaccines will only be procured through the National Vaccine Procurement Fund which is going to be managed by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.

To ensure the safety and efficacy of the vaccines,  all the vaccines administered at private institutions will be transported by the Ministry of Health and Child Care medical staff under guard by the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

In addition to that, trained and registered health professionals are the only people who are authorized to administer vaccines, and the Ministry of Health and Child Care will be responsible for issuing all Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

Zimbabwe last month rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination program after receiving a donation of 200,000 doses of shots from China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

According to The Chronicle, the first phase covered the frontline workers while vulnerable groups among them people with chronic illnesses such as cancer, TB, and diabetes patients are set to be covered in the second phase.

More than 35,000 people have been vaccinated in Zimbabwe and more than 9 million people are expected to be vaccinated in the next phase when Zimbabwe receives its second batch of covid-19 vaccines from China.