The government of Zimbabwe has approved the use of the U.S. Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine for emergency cases.
U.S. Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is the first vaccine produced by a Western country to be licensed in the country.
Zimbabwe’s Drug Control Authority said in a letter to the government cited by journalists that the vaccine meets its quality, safety, and efficacy requirements.
The country so far has only approved vaccines from China, India, and Russia, even the government had been criticized for refusing an African Union donation of three million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine
The southern African country indicated problems with storage of the product and possible side effects, despite rising cases of infection and a shortage of vaccines.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine doses require the same temperature as the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines.
The United States and the European Union have imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwean entities and individuals over the past decade for human rights violations.
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa unsuccessfully sought support from the UN for the removal of sanctions, which he said were hampering the country’s economic development.