The Sunday Mail
Talent Hwari
HEALTH experts say efforts by Government to vaccinate at least 10 million people against Covid-19, to achieve national herd immunity are being held back by the public’s vaccine hesitancy.
This has amplified calls for massive awareness campaigns by authorities to promote the vaccination programme.
In an interview, Harare Institute of Public Health (HIPH) principal Dr Amos Marume said various fake news reports on social media have worsened myths on the Covid-19 vaccine.
Such myths have resulted in many Zimbabweans hesitating to get the vaccine.
Dr Marume urged the health authorities to intervene, and accelerate education awareness campaigns to dismiss misinformation from social media.
He said over 85 percent of the population has access to internet, which makes it easier for the fake reports to mislead them
He also raised concerns that the vaccine hesitancy could hinder other existing vaccination programmes, such as the polio and measles vaccination programmes.
Dr Marume said people need to be educated on infectious diseases, for future prevention.
According to Dr Marume, the public should also be responsible and continue to adhere to set Covid-19 preventive measures despite the pandemic having been declared to be over.
Medical health practitioner Dr Josephat Chiripanyanga weighed in, and said despite the fact that some Zimbabweans now understand the importance of getting vaccinated, most of them are not getting the recommended three jabs.
Dr Chiripanyanga said social media has played a huge role to bring negative information and myths, which give people negative minds towards the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
He added that some religious beliefs are also affecting attainment of the herd immunity, hence the need for education campaigns to religious sects.
In addition, Dr Chiripanyanga stressed that Covid-19 is still in the country, and that people should continue observing the preventive measures especially at crowded places or gatherings.
Jeffrey Hungwe, a 36-year-old Mbare resident, revealed that he has received two doses of the vaccine, while indicating that he was not willing to get the third dose as he felt it was not important since Covid-19 infections has been low for over a year.
Houghton park resident, who identified herself as Mai Muku, said she has not yet been vaccinated citing that she believed some reports, which indicated that the vaccines will have after-effects such as infertility.
Zimbabwe has managed to administer the Covid-19 first dose to over seven million people, while nearly six million have also received both first and second doses as Government continues with its drive to vaccinate at least 10 million people.
However, authorities are no longer releasing the figures as mandatory following the Wealth Health Organisation (WHO) declaration that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
The announcement was made in may this year by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying that the move was prompted by the downward trend of the pandemic for more than a year.
