Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday expressed his gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for supporting Harare's fight against COVID-19.

Mnangagwa delivered a State of the Nation Address in the capital, also giving an update on the country's progress in the fight to stop the spread of the virus.

He noted his "heartfelt and sincere gratitude to the President of the People's Republic of China, the government and people of China for their 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

"We applaud China for taking a leading role of contributing to our national vaccination strategy.

"This kind of gesture is addition to the numerous donations support and interventions made by China since the outbreak of the virus.

"It further attests to the fact that the People’s Republic of China is a true friend of Zimbabwe," local Zimbabwe Mail quotes Mnangagwa.

By Thursday, the Southern African country had recorded 33,964 COVID-19 infections with 1,269 deaths.

In his address, President Mnangagwa noted that his administration has set aside funds to acquire vaccines to help curb further spread of the virus in Zimbabwe.

He announced that the vaccination jabs would be free for all Zimbabweans, and would be rolled out soon.