COVID-19: Zimbabwe’s Drug Control Authority approves J&J vaccine on emergency use

By Bisola Adeyemo

Zimbabwe’s Drug Control Authority on Thursday approved the U.S. Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.

According to Africanews, It is the first vaccine produced by a Western country to be licensed in the country was approved to be used in emergencies.

The Drug Control Authority said in a letter to the government cited by journalists that the vaccine meets its quality, safety and efficacy requirements.

Only vaccines from China, India and Russia have been approved so far in the southern African country.

The government had been criticized for refusing an African Union donation of three million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

It cited problems with storage of the product and possible side effects, despite rising cases of infection and a shortage of 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.