Associated Press' tweet on Zimbabwe's COVID-19 vaccination is inaccurate - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
July 24, 2021
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.”
Virus update:
• Canada has high vaccine rate; Zimbabwe lowest.
• Virus's impact in U.S: More relaxing and thinking, less socializing.
• England’s virus rules relaxed to avoid shortages.
• Opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics begins.
More @AP coverage: https://t.co/dpHsrtfb55
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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