On 23 July 2021, the Associated Press tweeted what it called a “virus update”. One of the highlights read: “Canada has high vaccine rate; Zimbabwe lowest.”
That same day, the American news agency had run a story comparing the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccination in Canada and Zimbabwe.
Canada, like most developed countries, has managed to attain high levels of vaccination, while Zimbabwe, like its African peers, lags far behind.
However, AP’s assertion, in its tweet, that Zimbabwe has the lowest vaccination rate is incorrect.
In fact, data shows that Zimbabwe has one of the highest vaccination rates in Africa, doing better than continental giants South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya.
In its article, AP describes Zimbabwe as “a relative success” in Africa, where only about 2% of its 1.3 billion people have been vaccinated.
In Zimbabwe, 4.5% of its 15 million population had been fully vaccinated by July 23, according to official data, while 9% had received the first dose.
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