Zimbabwe approves Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use

The country had previously been criticized for refusing a vaccine donation from an African Union

Zimbabwe has approved the U.S. Johnson and Johnson coronavirus vaccine for emergency use.

It is the first vaccine produced by a Western country to be authorized in the country.

Zimbabwe’s Drug Control Authority said in a letter to the government quoted by reporters that the vaccine meets its requirements for quality, safety and efficacy.

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

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

He cited problems with storage of the product and possible side effects, despite increasing 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 requested UN support for the lifting of sanctions, which he said are hampering the country’s economic development.