None but ourselves

Zimbabwe on Tuesday received 400,000 vaccine doses from China to accelerate the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Of the doses, 200,000 were procured while the remainder was a donation by China, the second time it has done so to its Southern African friend.

Zimbabwe also waits for donated vaccine doses from India and Russia.

The private sector has been given the nod to import vaccine doses with the Association of Healthcare Funders saying players under its wing would import the doses for members.

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe recently approved the use of Sinopharm and Sinovac from China, Covaxin from India and Russia’s Sputnik V for use in Zimbabwe.

In his statement at the handover of the vaccine doses, President Emmerson Mnangagwa lauded China for the donation saying the Asian giant’s continued assistance and solidarity has “lightened our burden in an otherwise difficult period whilst also positively impacting the health, well-being, protection and recovery of our people”.

Despite the availability of the vaccine, the vaccination roll-out exercise has been met with scepticism and the response from the people is underwhelming.

Some have been critical of the Chinese vaccine, attacking everything that comes from China.

There have been calls for Zimbabwe to procure European and US vaccines—the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna.

Experience has shown the Chinese one as safer with the more lauded ones facing challenges.

Over a dozen European countries have paused AstraZeneca jabs due to clotting concerns which throws into disarray Europe’s vaccination programme.

Across the Limpopo, South Africa last month stopped the roll-out of vaccines after a study revealed that the AstraZeneca jab failed to prevent moderate and mild illness caused by a variant in South Africa.

For a government pinning its hopes on the vaccination programme, resistance to the safer Chinese jab should jolt officials into action, moreso if the people involved are frontline workers. Like any other vaccination programme, resistance is always there.

People are fearful of the unknown and it is the duty of the government and its partners to close the information gap. Some do not want to be vaccinated due to religious beliefs while for others it’s just the fear of “everything Chinese”.

Resistance by front line workers does not bode well for the programme.

What should worry the government is that those that have been given preferential treatment and put at the front of the vaccination queue have spurned the offer.

This will have ripple effects when the programme is open to everyone. The government can also ride on the message being posted on social media by influencers who have done their part by posting their pictures after getting the jab which should encourage the next person to embrace the vaccination programme.

This brings the issue of advocacy and communication.

According to a presentation made by Vice President and Health and Child Care minister Constantino Chiwenga to Parliament, the vaccination programme has an operational budget of US$6,778,777.

Of that budget, advocacy and communication will chew US$1,268,450.

Despite a programme on state broadcaster, very little has been done in terms of communication. It is the duty of the government to psyche

citizens to eliminate the resistance to the vaccination programme.

The government has been lauded by the manner in which it contained the virus but it should take the flak for failing to adequately communicate to the citizens on the benefits of vaccination.

At the individual level, one should also be vigilant.

You don’t need the government to force you to put on a face mask, sanitise and practice social distancing. This by now should have been part of our daily routine.

 The third wave is on its way and some European countries are already feeling the heat despite their strong safety nets.

The grim reaper is coming with winter some months away.

Vaccination is the only option.