Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support is the Government is providing to Zimbabwe to support covid-19 testing and vaccination in that country.

The UK quickly adapted existing programmes in early 2020 to support the COVID-19 response in Zimbabwe. This included funding through the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support national coordination efforts, the development of the National COVID-19 Strategy, and work to enhance the capacity of the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC). UK funding also provided community messaging, support for frontline workers, water sanitation and hygiene improvement in schools and health facilities, and humanitarian food and cash aid to help mitigate the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable. Through the Health Development Fund and WHO, the UK supported development of the National Vaccine Deployment Plan (NVDP), COVID-19 Demand Generation Strategy, Testing Strategy, capacity building of lab scientists, rapid response teams on testing, procurement of tests, and establishment of surveillance mechanisms. Zimbabwe has been confirmed as a participant for the COVAX facility and is eligible for 3 million doses, with 984,000 allocated in the initial round. The UK's Ambassador to Zimbabwe met Vice President Chiwenga on 23 December 2020 to discuss COVID vaccines and reiterated the UK commitment to support equitable access to vaccines through the COVAX facility.