Chronicle Editor
On a visit to Bulawayo early last month, President Mnangagwa announced that Covid-19 vaccine booster shots would soon be available in the country for all eligible citizens.
Shortly after that, he and his Cabinet got their third jabs as the Government further enhances its fight against a disease that continues to pose a health and socio-economic threat to the country. Dozens of officials in the Office of the President and Cabinet got theirs on Tuesday. We reported this yesterday.
The leadership has led from the front, which is great. Now all eligible citizens — the fully vaccinated who are also frontline workers, senior citizens and those who are immuno-compromised — can return to vaccination centres scattered around the country for their third shots.
“I can confirm that His Excellency, the President, his deputies and a host of Cabinet ministers who were not on holiday have received third doses and this is consistent with the opinion coming from our medical experts and of course, in keeping with the practice worldwide,” we quoted Acting Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, also
Presidential Spokesperson, Mr George Charamba yesterday as saying.
“With the rise of new Covid-19 variants, it has become important to reinforce our bodily defences, which is exactly what has inspired the position taken by the leadership.
“If you recall, we went for the initial phase of the vaccination and the leadership led on what we were supposed to do.
So this is a demonstration to all Zimbabweans, particularly to those that are still skeptical that it is important to get vaccinated.
“The vaccine is safe, is tested and is the only panacea to the pandemic. So the message right now is, get vaccinated if you haven’t been and if you have, then get the booster jab so that you are safe, your family is safe as are your neighbours and by extension, the nation.”
The health conscious among us have been waiting for this moment, the moment when they can get that third shot and with it, greater reassurance against the viral infection.
It is vital for our people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as this boosts their bodies’ capacity to fight off the disease.
Seeing that the first phase of the vaccination campaign started in February last year, it is equally vital for those of us who were jabbed last year, to get the number three shot to further protect themselves against the disease.
We say the third injection is important because studies indicate that the immunity and clinical protection offered by primary vaccination such as one given last year, tends to fall over time.
They also say the booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine is highly effective in protecting individuals against severe disease when compared with receiving only one or two doses at least five months earlier.
Given the danger that Covid-19 poses, our people cannot afford to take chances. They must follow the example that the leadership has set and get jabbed again.
Of the about 10 million citizens who are eligible to getting Covid-19 vaccination in the country, 3, 1 million have been fully vaccinated.
Some 4, 1 million have had their first of two Covid-19 vaccine doses. These are the people who have complied with the President’s call for all eligible nationals to be jabbed. We are confident that most of the 3,1 million who have had both jabs will come forward for their third shots as soon as possible.
While we are encouraged by the start of the booster campaign, we are still concerned that the country missed, by a country mile, its target to have immunised 60 percent of the national population, or 10 million people by the end of last year. We continue to urge the hesitant and those who are simply ignoring the President’s call, to now heed his advice.
At the same time, we must all continue wearing face masks at all times we are in public places, avoiding crowds, washing and sanitising our hands and taking more care of our health.
Online Reporter