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A nurse prepares a dose of the Sinopharm coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Wilkins Hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe, March 24, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]
As African countries expand the range of vaccines used to battle a brutal third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese vaccines such as Sinovac and Sinopharm are being used in greater numbers across the continent.
In addition to vaccines donated by the Chinese government, many African countries are buying the Chinese doses while other nations have signed agreements to manufacture the vaccines locally.
In February, China pledged to provide COVID-19 vaccines to 19 African countries that had requested them, as part of its commitment to make vaccines public global goods.