Amid spike in Covid-19 cases Zimbabwe approves J&J vaccine for emergency use

Zimbabwe is in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, with over half of the country's 101,711 total cases and 3,280 fatalities recorded in July itself.

Zimbabwe authorised the Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine, Janssen, for emergency-use after banning it earlier, as the southern African country battles a spike in cases of infection from coronavirus diseases, according to Bloomberg on Wednesday.

A box containing vials of Johnson & Johnson vaccine against Covid-19. (AFP)

Like many other African countries, Zimbabwe is in the grip of a third wave of Covid-19 infections, with over half of the country's 101,711 total cases and 3,280 fatalities recorded in July itself, Reuters reported. The daily death rate hit a record-high this week as cases surged, data by the country's ministry of health showed.

Richard Rukwata, interim head of Zimbabwe's Medicines Control Authority, said in his statement earlier on Wednesday that "the drug's usage is valid for 12 months or until the public health emergency ends".

“If additional satisfactory data needed for full registration are submitted in an application to the authority, then full marketing authorization could be granted,” Richard added.

Earlier in June, the Zimbabwean government had requested the African Export-Import Bank to postpone the shipment of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine dosages citing concerns about blood clots and the government's inability to retain the vials of injections at the proper temperature.

According to Covid-19 data available on worldometers.info, Zimbabwe recorded 1,767 cases of coronavirus and 107 related deaths on Tuesday alone. The active cases in the country, with an approximate population of 1.46 crores, stood at 27,935.