Brian Rungano Temba
The Ministry of Health and Child Care recently released an exhaustive communique answering recurring questions surrounding COVID19 vaccination.
The 10 page circular explains how vaccines work, their efficacy and debunks popular myths circulating on social media.
Zimbabwe is currently on a winning streak against the COVID19 second wave that came from South Africa with significant reduction in infections and a steady rise in recoveries.
However, the storm is far from over as Kenya, and most of East Africa, have been hit by a third wave of the pandemic.
Numbers in Zimbabwe have been on a slow rise, eliciting worries from experts like Mpilo Hospital Acting CEO Professor Solwayo Ngwenya.
Our best bet is the vaccine though there appears to be some degree of hesitancy.
Ministry of Health assured the vaccine is genetically designed to merely jumpstart the immune without the body suffering side effects or symptoms.
A person is far more likely to be seriously harmed by a disease than by a vaccine.
“Some vaccines require multiple doses, given weeks or months apart,” said Ministry of Health hinting towards the Chinese Sinopharm Vaccine that comes in two jabs spaced 28 days apart.
“Those who cannot be vaccinated like very young babies, the very ill or those with certain allergies and people with compromised immune systems depend on others being vaccinated to ensure they are also safe from vaccine-preventable diseases,” they added.
Government’s goal of attaining herd immunity requires inoculating just 60 percent of the country’s population and a wider uptake of the vaccine is expected to facilitate an early return to normalcy
Antivaxxers who have been pushing the conspiracies causing despondency are healthy beneficiaries of other vaccinations against measles, meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus, polio just like every other Zimbabwean.
Vaccines are not a new topic in Zimbabwe, COVID 19 is.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa assured the nation in his State of the Nation (SONA) address that answers on Vaccine, to which Ministry of Health has followed up with the communique. The country is expecting 1 200 000 more doses of Sinopharm from China.
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