HARARE, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 15,000 Zimbabwean frontline workers have received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine during the first six days of the inoculation program starting on Monday, Ministry of Health and Child Care said in a statement Saturday night.

Data obtained from the ministry shows that 15,705 frontline workers, including healthcare workers, security sector personnel and journalists, had been vaccinated by Friday, under phase one of the program.

At least 49,000 frontline workers will receive two inoculation jabs during the current phase.

Authorities were now preparing to intensify the immunization blitz following the country's receipt of first batch of vaccines from China.

An additional 600,000 doses procured by the government from the same Chinese pharmaceutical giant are set to land in the country this week, giving impetus to the country's largest immunization program in history.

Coordinator of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet Agnes Mahomva said that the immunization drive would intensify with the arrival of the additional doses, the state media Sunday Mail reported.

"The rollout is going on smoothly in spite of the prevalence of misinformation on social media platforms,"she said.

"From the national level we have decentralized to the provincial level, but it is difficult for me to discuss the rollout in numbers, time and places because logistics can change at any time and we don't want to appear to be misleading the public," she said. Enditem

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