Staff Reporter

Zimbabwe yesterday received 2 million Covid-19 Vaccines from China’s Sinovac, its first single largest shipment that is expected to boost the vaccination campaign, as the fight against the deadly pandemic continues.

Yesterday’s delivery saw the country’s total number of vaccines from donation and purchases reaching 4.2 million, after another delivery of 500 000 doses arrived from China last week.

Speaking while receiving the consignment at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube highlighted that the vaccination programme was not only about saving lives and the economy as well.

“Am pleased that we have received yet another consignment of doses this afternoon. We are receiving the Sinovac variety of the vaccines. We can  now go full throttle in terms of the vaccination programme.

Colleagues, I want to say the vaccination programme is not about just saving lives, it is also about saving the economy because when your people have been vaccinated, its easier for Government to open up all the aspects of the economy so it is also about economic recovery,” said Minister Ncube.

The Minister revealed that the country will be receiving another consignment of 1.5 million doses next week and another 2 million doses by end of July. Minister Ncube noted that the country is determined to reach the heard immunity target of 60 percent of the total population.

Zimbabweans were initially reluctant to be vaccinated but as cases surged in the past two weeks, more people sought vaccines at local centres around the country.

Meanwhile as at 08 July 2021 Zimbabwe had 62 383 confirmed cases, including 42 855 recoveries and 2 029 deaths. To date a total of 848 080 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19.