Zimbabwe welcomes international ‘vaccine tourism’

Posted on 11 May 2021

‘Vaccine tourism’ is booming in Zimbabwe as foreign nationals are going into the country to get their vaccine against COVID-19 at a fee.

South Africans are crossing borders for their vaccine vacations

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that visitors are welcome to receive the vaccination at a cost, and many have started doing just that.

‘Zimbabweans will get the vaccine for free, but for foreigners who come here, they will receive the vaccine at a cost. This is a human element, we cannot deny anybody the vaccine, but if you are not Zimbabwean we will give you the vaccine at a cost,’ President Mnangagwa said.

As reported by Sunday Times, four Covid-19 vaccines have been authorised by Zimbabwe: China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines, Russia’s Sputnik V, and Covaxin from India.

So far, 478 174 people have been treated with both Sinopharm and Sinovac’s vaccines in Zimbabwe.

The Herald spoke to a local businessman situated in Zimbabwe, Grant Evans, brought his family over from South Africa to receive the vaccine.

‘The Covid-19 vaccine roll-out is slow in SA, and my extended family in Cape Town needed to get vaccinated. We made a decision to bring them to Zimbabwe to get vaccinated. The private clinics in Zimbabwe are charging foreign nationals $70 for both jabs, we are happy to pay and it sounds reasonable,’ said Evans.

An uproar rose on social media with regards to what some now call ‘vaccine tourism’.

PICTURE: Getaway Gallery






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