'Zimbabwe has enough vaccines'

DEPUTY Minister of Health and Child Care John Mangwiro says the country has enough Covid-19 vaccines and government will keep sourcing more until the herd immunity is achieved.

Mangwiro told newzimbabwe.com in an interview Wednesday that enough Covid-19 vaccines have been purchased.

This comes as Parliamentarians during the Wednesday question-and-answer session alleged there were some shortages of second dose vaccines in the country.

"We have acquired lots of vaccines which we continue to receive from China. The vaccines are being moved to areas where they are needed and as for Kwekwe, tomorrow (Thursday) those who need to be inoculated will have either their first or second doses available," said Mangwiro.

Midlands MP Memory Mbondiah told Speaker Jacob Mudenda that Kwekwe had run out of vaccines.

Speaking on behalf of the deputy minister, acting leader of the government in the National Assembly Amon Murwira (Higher and Tertiary Education Minister) told Mudenda that the Kwekwe situation had been resolved as it was a matter of logistics to cater for the drugs which need storage facilities.

"Government has paid for 12 million doses of vaccines and there will be enough vaccines. The situation is being handled by the responsible ministry and everything will be sorted out. We are buying vaccines. They will arrive at different times. They will continue to come as nitty-gritties of numbers may not matter right now," Murwira said.

The government through treasury paid US$93 million for the vaccines (12 million doses) according to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and another US$7,5 million for vaccines alone.

So far the government has received more than six million doses of vaccines as more are expected this week and early August according to Ncube.