HARARE – The first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines finally arrived in the country early Monday morning on an Air Zimbabwe plane.
The vaccines will undergo rigorous testing by a team of local multidisciplinary experts over the next 48 hours after arrival to ensure their authenticity, before being used in vaccination centers across the country, according to the Ministry of Health.
The vaccines arrived at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport around 06:45, where a government delegation led by the Vice President and Minister of Health and Children, Dr. Constantino Chiwenga, waited to receive it.
The shipment received includes around 200,000 vaccine doses, while another 600,000 vaccine doses, from Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, are expected to arrive early next month.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights (ZDHR) has reportedly advised the government not to open land borders with South Africa as it reviews the current lockdown.
The end of the prolonged confinement on Monday coincides with South Africa’s decision to open its borders on February 15.
ZDHR is concerned that the new variant found in South Africa could be an obstacle to progress made due to the recent lockdown if human movement is allowed between countries.
Zimbabwe has recorded an average of 83 new cases and around 11 deaths a day since the lockdown this month, a huge improvement from January statistics.
![South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma addresses a public rally for his new party uMkhonto weSizwe party recently. [Photo: Fani Mahuntsi/ Getty Images]](https://rosgwen24.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/image-24-edited-300x200.jpeg)
