Several African governments have chosen China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.
Tanzania has received 500,000 Sinopharm doses of COVID-19 vaccine as a contribution from China, as the East African country ramps up its vaccination program with the goal of immunizing at least 60% of its almost 60 million inhabitants.
Experts believe that if at least 60% of the population is vaccinated and individuals take additional precautions against the pandemic, the nation will be free of Covid-19.
In July, Tanzania got from the US government 1,058,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccination. President Samia Suluhu Hassan was the first to get the immunization in July, and all J&J doses have been provided since then.
Last month, the nation got 1,065,600 doses of Sinopharm through the Covax facility, the second batch of Covid-19 vaccines.
Thus, the 500,000 doses of Sinopharm jabs received as a gift from China yesterday raise the total number of Covid-19 doses received in the country to 2.624 million.
According to Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima, the government is presently providing vaccines to all Tanzanians over the age of 18.
After depleting the J&J on October 19, the administration promptly began distributing Sinopharm, reporting that 88,540 persons had gotten this vaccination thus far.
“We have already established some plans to begin the distribution of 500,000 Covid-19 vaccines as soon as feasible in order to vaccinate 60 percent of Tanzania’s population in the battle against the pandemic,” she added.
According to Dr. Gwajima, 80 percent of the population in China has been vaccinated, placing the Asian nation on the list of countries that have conquered Covid-19.
Tanzanians, she claimed, were reacting positively to the initiatives, and the situation was quite hopeful in ten areas.
Mbeya, Kagera Ruvuma, Dodoma, Arusha, Mwanza, Songwe, and Mara have the greatest proportion of immunized people.
She asked leaders in their many fields to conduct awareness campaigns so that Tanzanians could get the vaccines.
Chen Mingjian, China’s ambassador to Tanzania, said the contribution of 500,000 Covid-19 immunization doses was vital in helping the country battle the epidemic and the spread of coronavirus.
“Because of our ancestors’ long relationship in both nations,” she added, “China is willing to give additional anti-pandemic vaccines and technologies to help Tanzania in manufacturing the vaccine domestically.”
