Zimbabwe has authorised the emergency use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, the primary Western-made shot to be permitted by the southern African nation, its medicines regulator mentioned on Wednesday.
Like many African nations, Zimbabwe is within the grips of a 3rd wave of infections, with almost half of its 101,711 cumulative circumstances and three,280 deaths recorded this month alone, based on official knowledge.
Till now, the Medicines Management Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) had solely registered vaccines from India, Russia and China.
“MCAZ reviewed the technical documentation that was submitted by the producer, and emergency use authorisation was granted and communicated to (the Ministry of Well being),” MCAZ spokesman Shingai Gwatidzo mentioned.
He declined to say when Zimbabwe would obtain its first J&J pictures, including that the well being ministry would verify the deployment of the vaccines after reviewing necessities for chilly chain storage.
To date, greater than 1.5 million Zimbabweans have obtained a primary dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Most got China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm pictures.
Zimbabwe has to this point obtained greater than 5 million doses from China, together with each purchases and donations.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube mentioned on Sunday the federal government had absolutely paid for a complete of 12 million vaccine doses from China.
He mentioned Zimbabwe anticipated 5 million pictures underneath an African Union vaccine procurement facility after making a $7.5 million deposit, whereas one other 1.15 million doses can be delivered underneath the COVAX international vaccine distribution programme.
