Zimbabwe has reportedly had a large number of foreigners coming in to get vaccinated, particularly South Africans.
According to Travel News, Healthpoint Hospital in Harare is privately administering the vaccine to foreign tourists for R1 420 ($100).
Why is Zimbabwe selling its vaccines to the public?
Zimbabwe pulled well ahead of South Africa some time ago concerning COVID-19 vaccinations, having commenced the roll-out of its programme in February.
Owner of Healthpoint Hospital, Peter Annesley, told Travel News that Zimbabwe’s quick access to vaccines had been achieved through a private-public collaboration between Zimbabwean government officials, the Chinese Ambassador in Zimbabwe and a few high-profile Chinese investors, and this has enabled the country to secure a substantial number of COVID-19 vaccination doses.
Does this mean South Africans can get vaccinated?
According to Bloomberg, in South Africa, the latest vaccination rate is 64,565 doses per day, on average. At this pace, it will take another 3.6 years to cover 75% of the population.
Furthermore, Gauteng premier David Makhura says that government will begin opening up Covid-19 vaccine registrations to people under 60. From the first week of July, the government will start with the registration and vaccination of 50-59-year-olds.
South Africa has previously only allowed healthcare workers and people over the age of 60 to register for vaccinations. The government also began its plan to vaccinate nearly half a million education staff this week.
Is the Zimbabwean vaccine safe?
According to iHarare, anyone over the age of 18 can visit any local clinic and get their shots of vaccines. Zimbabwean residents are charged R568 ($40) in total for a two-dose vaccination, while foreigners are charged R1 420 ($100) for their two-dose vaccine.
This works out to only R710 ($50) per dose. Prices may differ due to the exchange rate.
According to Travel News, foreign tourists can choose whether they want to receive both shots in Zimbabwe or receive the second in their own country. Travellers will receive two doses of the vaccine, which would either be Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines from China.
“Both of these vaccines have recently been approved by World Health Organization (WHO) and have been proven just as safe as Western vaccine options,” Annesley said.