Ministry wary of low vaccine uptake in Byo

TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO 

 

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has noted a decline in Covid-19 cases in Bulawayo but says residents are not out of danger yet and should be vaccinated.

Zimbabwe is targeting to vaccinate at least 10m citizens for it to achieve herd immunity.

Provincial Medical Director Dr Maphios Siamichembu said the vaccines are available in health care facilities.

“So compared to last week, we are recording lower numbers of cases per day. This week vaccination is ongoing at all health care facilities   council clinics, government hospitals, central hospitals, some private hospitals like Mater Dei Hospital, Corporate 24, and some private surgeries vaccination is ongoing,” he said, adding the vaccination statistics were not pleasing.

“The response is not as good as we would like it to. We vaccinated about 400 people for the first dose another 400 for the second dose in the past seven days. This is far less than we desire because our coverage is still not where we want it to be,” he said.

During a Cabinet portfolio meeting last week Tuesday, Minister of Information and Publicity Monica Mutsvangwa said the Ministry of Health and Child Care is ready to introduce Covid-19 self-test kits, mainly at points of entry and remote areas.

“The resurgence analysis by province shows that Bulawayo Metropolitan Province which was the only province with a more than 10% increase in new cases last week, has now also recorded a less than 10% increase. The Ministry of Health and Child Care is ready to introduce COVID-19 self-test kits, mainly at points of entry and remote areas, in order to ramp up testing in all communities,” Mutsvangwa said.

On March 20 2020, a Victoria Falls resident, Graham Simmonds, who had travelled to the United Kingdom became the country’s first confirmed Covid-19 case while journalist Zororo Makamba succumbed to the virus on March 23 2020.

The pandemic saw the Government introducing national lockdowns, mandatory wearing of face masks to contain the spread of the virus while capacitating health institutions to handle those that needed treatment and hospitalisation.

 

 

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