The Sunday Mail
Debra Matabvu and Emmanuel Kafe
Health officials at vaccination centres should not turn away people because the Government has not set a limit to the number of people who can be vaccinated per day.
Speaking at a press briefing in Harare yesterday, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro said those who want to be vaccinated should be served if enough doses are available.
Vaccination centres have been expanded to tertiary institutions such as universities, polytechnics and teachers’ colleges.
The campaign is now covering rural and village health centres.
The Government will take delivery of another 1,5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China this week, which will add oomph to the ongoing mass vaccination.
Last week, two million Sinovac doses — the biggest consignment so far — were received.
Overall, the country currently has about 4,26 million vaccine doses.
“There is no limit to the number of people to be vaccinated at a certain point,” said Dr Mangwiro.
“We are actually encouraging people to go out and be vaccinated.
“So, like I said, no vaccination point should limit the number of people it can vaccinate.”
The Government, he said, was doing everything in its power to procure the life-saving vaccines.
“Next week (this week), we are going to get another 1,5 million and the following week, two million more.
“This is to ensure that everyone gets vaccinated so that we attain herd immunity.
“If there is any member of the public who is turned away, they can always call the toll free number 2019 or call the Provincial Medical Director of that area, or nurse-in-charge.
“As for the vaccination distribution, one can get them at central hospitals, provincial hospitals, district hospitals, rural health centres, village health centres, and we have also said as the Government, people at GMB, tobacco auction floors should be vaccinated.
“We have included universities, polytechnics clinics and teachers’ colleges, if their nurses can join us so that the programme is very wide.
“We are also encouraging people in border towns to be vaccinated so that we can open the economy without fear of the repercussions of Covid-19.”
The ongoing blitz is targeting border towns, hotspots, agricultural depots and major markets such as Mbare Musika (Harare), Renkini (Bulawayo), Sakubva (Mutare) and other hotspots.
Close to 1,5 million Zimbabweans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine since the programme was launched.
By Friday, 875 182 people had received the first dose, while 588 883 people had been fully vaccinated.
According to a roll-out plan for the recently acquired two million doses, Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces were allocated 100 000 first doses, while Mashonaland West Province, which has been identified as a hotspot, was allocated 90 000 first doses.
The rest of the provinces were given 50 000 first doses.
Chief co-ordinator of the National Response to the Covid-19 in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva, said the vaccination programme was now full throttle.
“Our vaccination programme is running and expanding nationwide. As you are aware, vaccines have been disbursed all over and all polyclinics now have doses which are ready to be administered.
“All provinces have so far been allocated doses according to the number of cases and their population. We give vaccines to each area after analysing its population.”
She said the mass vaccination programme will help flatten the curve through preventing the exponential increase in infections.
“People should continue masking up, social distancing, washing of hands and following all Covid-19 preventive measures as it will help the mass vaccination programme in reducing positive cases.”
The Government has used US$40 million of the budgeted US$100 million for the exercise.
