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Phyllis Kachere Deputy News Editor Convergence
While the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 is no longer a global public health emergency, local medical experts have warned the public to remain vigilant with door to door Covid-19 vaccination mobilization being intensified.
Last month WHO released statistics showing that globally, 6,86 million people had died after contracting the respiratory virus since its outbreak three years ago.
“Door-to-door Covid-19 vaccination is bringing results to our campaign to increase uptake and demand in Chegutu district. Most community members are self-employed either as small scale farmers, artisanal miners or vendors.
“We also have apostolic faith sect members who prefer discretion as their faith forbids them to be hospital treated or vaccinated. We arrange with our health workers for them to be vaccinated discretely, health personnel will visit homes discretely and anonymously. Mobile vaccination has greatly served our district. Our vaccination coverage is improving rapidly,” said Chegutu district environmental health officer Mrs Nyarai Chikwavarara.
She said because the communities are mostly self-employed at their gardens or small scale artisanal mines;
“They say they cannot afford to leave their work stations to travel distances to health facilities where they will join long queues to get vaccinated.
“To counter that, we have come up with mobile Covid-19 vaccination teams that go to the people. We have recorded marked improvement in Covid-19 vaccination coverage through these campaigns and we continue to embark on these to reach the 70 percent national herd immunity.”
Mrs Chikwavarara said so far, they received some of their highest vaccination uptake figures from Madamombe Gardens and Pickstone mining area where communities were vaccinated against Covid-19 at their stations.
“Our mobile vaccination team recorded high numbers at the Madamombe Gardens where the small scale gardeners got vaccinated while watering and tending to their plots. They told us they would not have left their gardens to go to a clinic to get vaccinated. Instead, they said it worked well for them to get their jabs as they worked.
“It was the same at Pickstone mining area where we again recorded high numbers as we vaccinated the artisanal miners as they worked,” said Mrs Chikwavarara.
With some districts recording as low as 40 percent Covid-19 vaccination uptake against a national herd immunity target of 70 percent, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, in partnership with the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) with support from Africa CDC Saving Lives and Livelihoods in partnership with MasterCard Foundation are mobilising communities in Mashonaland West and Midlands provinces for Covid-19 vaccine demand and uptake activities.
ZRCS secretary general Mr Elias Hwenga said the campaign aimed at understanding the drivers and scale of hesitancy while developing strategies to combat it.
“The campaign will implement risk communication and community engagement strategies in the targeted districts (Gweru City, Kwekwe City, Gokwe South, Gokwe North, Hurungwe, Chegutu, Zvimba, Nemakonde and Sanyati) informed by the participation and needs of the targeted population.
“The campaign will also set up systems and tools for effective two-way communication with targeted populations that emphasize the collection, analysis and use of feedback to strengthen the activities,” said Mr Hwenga.
A tobacco farmer from Dandawa who was vaccinated at the auction floors in Karoi, Mrs Lonnia Matore said she was grateful for the mobile vaccination team that was stationed at the auction floors.
“The nearest clinic where I live is about 15km and that distance is too long on foot, so that means ordinarily, I would not travel that distance to just go and get vaccinated unless I was sick. The same also applies to most members of my community. But now, I easily walked up to the vaccination desk and I got vaccinated. Most farmers here are getting vaccinated because the facilities are here and its easy,” explained Mrs Matore.
She said she belonged to an apostolic sect that allowed them to seek hospital treatment when sick. But said even if her faith had tried to forbid her, she would find a way of getting the vaccine.
“This is about personal health. I would go out of my way to get the vaccine. I am grateful that the process is made easier,” she said.
A used tyre vendor at the Old Swift Market in Karoi Mr Shadreck Mungazi welcomed the idea of mobile Covid-19 vaccination.
“I sell my tyres from this area and imagine the business I would lose if I were to go to a clinic to get vaccinated? But now, it just took me less than five minutes to be vaccinated. This is my first time to be vaccinated and I hope they will come back for the second dose,” he said.
He said in some conversations shared with colleagues, they feared losing fertility if they got vaccinated.
“Some people were saying you lose fertility when you get vaccinated. But we have seen some people who got vaccinated earlier who are still fertile. I think those were just lies,” he said.
Online Reporter