Zimbabwe to purchase Sinopharm doses at ''preferential prices''

Beijing has agreed to give more free doses to Zimbabwe as the country agrees to purchase a further 1.2 million coronavirus vaccines from China at ''a preferential price'', presidential spokesman, George Charamba said Wednesday.

‘’Zimbabwe is also procuring more vaccines from China at a preferential price. Zimbabwe is set to purchase another 1.2 million doses from China,” he wrote on Twitter.

The Southern African nation started its vaccination programme last week after it received a 200,000 donation of the vaccines from China’s Sinopharm.

For the start, the government is hoping to give the jabs to health workers, security forces and journalists among others.

Charamba said the government is expecting to receive the vaccines next week. He said the country would up its purchases from China after buying 600,000 doses.

This would bring the number of coronavirus vaccines from China to 1.8 million doses.

The government is yet to disclose how much it is paying for the Sinopharm doses. Harare said Russia and India have both donated some 87,000 doses.

As at the time of filing this report, Zimbabwe has registered 35,910 confirmed cases, there have been 32, 288 recoveries with 1,448 deaths.