Zimbabwe's vaccination program got a shot in the arm with the arrival on Saturday of 500,000 COVID-19 Sinopharm vaccines and syringes procured from China.

The rise in COVID-19 new cases and deaths has increased demand for vaccination, leading to shortages. So serious are the shortages that Zimbabwe's neighbor, Namibia, has been forced to temporarily suspend administration of first doses of all types of vaccines beginning Tuesday until new stock has been received.

Professor Mthuli Ncube, finance and economic development minister, who received the consignment with deputy minister of health, John Mangwiro, at the Robert Mugabe International Airport, said the country will not experience vaccine shortages as $70 million has been set aside to purchase COVID-19 vaccines.

"The arrival of these vaccines tells you that there are no shortages and there will be no shortages. Secondly, we are receiving 2 million vaccines by next week and after that we will order another 1.5 million vaccines to come by end of July. And then in the month of August, we will order another 3.5 million vaccines," Ncube said.

Mangwiro said the country's border posts, all the current hotspot areas, including tobacco auction floors and markets, will be prioritized in the next stage of the vaccination program.

In a message on Twitter soon after the arrival of the vaccines, Guo Shaochun, the Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, said although there is a huge demand for Chinese vaccines both domestically and internationally, China will continue to do its best to ensure the supply to Zimbabwe.

"The arrival of the newly-procured, 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines will boost Zimbabwe's vaccination program. Since immunization is becoming even more urgent in the face of the third wave, it has testified to the solidarity between Zimbabwe and China against COVID-19," he said.

Zimbabwe has received 1.2 million doses bought from Sinovac, 400,000 Sinopharm vaccines donated by the Chinese government, 500 000 vaccines bought from Sinopharm, 35,000 Covaxin doses donated by India and 25,000 Sputnik V vaccines donated by Alrosa, the Russian diamond miner.

Recently, Zimbabwean-born and South Africa-based academic, Professor Arthur Mutambara, urged African countries to embrace Chinese and Russian vaccines in addition to those from the West.

In the face of vaccine shortages and hoarding by the West, China has pledged to make COVID-19 vaccines a public good and its vaccines have been most welcomed by poor countries, particularly African countries. Africa is the second-largest recipient of Chinese vaccines worldwide, according to Beijing-based Bridge Consulting. To date, 33 African countries have received sales and donations from China, with China delivering 22 million doses out of the 44 million it pledged.

Morocco, Egypt and Zimbabwe are the top recipients of Chinese vaccines in Africa.