News & Analysis: Zimbabwe
“As the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across Africa, the continent has become the most vulnerable region hit by the more transmissible Delta variant of the disease due to lack of vaccines and health facilities.”
“While case numbers and deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise across Africa, the devastating costs of the travel restrictions that have been imposed on visitors as a consequence continue to grow. The economic damage caused by the closure of the tourism economy in Southern and North Africa last year is continuing, perhaps worsening, this year.”
“WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said that hospital admissions for severely ill COVID-19 patients had reached unprecedented levels in about 10 countries; at least six countries were facing shortages in intensive care unit beds and medical oxygen.”
“Zimbabwe recorded 59 new COVID-19 deaths to bring the total deaths to 2,185 since the start of the pandemic.”
“This comes as Air Zimbabwe resumed domestic routes on June 2, for the first time since January last year when it stopped flights, apart from charter operations, due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.”
“Zimbabwe continues to lead the Southern African countries in procuring and distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. The country started rolling out the Sinopharm COVID-19 on February 22, and reported that by Friday afternoon, 571 460 people had received their first dose while 203 781 had received both doses of the vaccine.”
“What worries me most is that the continent doesn’t get its vaccination program in order in a timely fashion. That means we have to pursue an aggressive process not a passive process.”
On top of missed income opportunities caused by the freeze of productive activities, many women traders in Zimbabwe suffered economic losses from goods that have remained unsold and, in many cases, gone to waste because of their perishable nature.
“Despite the huge demand for vaccines at home, we are doing our best to support Zimbabwe’s fight against COVID-19 because we are all-weather friends and we keep our promise to ensure the accessibility and affordability of the vaccines, particularly for developing countries.”
“President Mnangagwa was yesterday at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to accept the first batch of 35,000 doses of India’s first indigenous COVID19 vaccine, the first tranche of the 75,000 doses of Covaxin donated by the Indian Government.”
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