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Mukudzei Chingwere-Herald Reporter

Zimbabwe took delivery of 700 000 doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine  last night, 24 hours after 800 000 doses from the same supplier were delivered taking total deliveries to 6,76 million various jabs and allowing the accelerated vaccination programme to continue at a high level.

Almost 12 million more doses have already been guaranteed with payment made under a number of facilities so most of what Zimbabwe needs for the minimum of 10 million vaccinated people for herd immunity is already in the country or secured.

Local Government and Public Works Deputy Minister Marian Chombo received the vaccines on behalf of the Government at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.

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She was accompanied by chief director Curative Services in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Maxwell Hove and other senior Government officials.

“We meet again today; the Government has purchased 1,5 million Sinopharm vaccines of which yesterday we received the first batch of 800 000 vaccines, and today we have just received the last batch of 700 000 from China,” said Deputy Minister Chombo.

“All this was procured by the Government of Zimbabwe with the initiative of our visionary leader President Mnangagwa. We are also urging the private sector to help us with this initiative. Our motto is to leave no-one behind. We have to go down to the grassroots to reach everyone.” 

Deputy Minister Chombo also reminded people to continue adhering to prescribed containment measures.

Government has repeatedly appealed to everyone to take up vaccines, which are a proven intervention to quell the effects of the pandemic if infected as well as boosting one’s immunity.

Dr Hove said Zimbabwe has adequate infrastructure to keep the vaccines in accordance to manufacturers’ specification and reminded people that being vaccinated would save the country from forming new variants in communities which might present authorities with another challenge.

“So if we are vaccinated it means there are fewer variants that are going to be formed in our county,” said Dr Hove.

Zimbabwe has won plaudits from the WHO and other countries including those from the first world over the way it has confronted the deadly  pandemic.