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Midlands Bureau
Kwekwe District Covid-19 taskforce has started rolling out vaccination in schools targeting pupils aged 16 and above.
According to the district statistics released yesterday, 69 002 people have received their first jab, whilst another 47 776 have received their second jab in Kwekwe district so far.
A total of 116 768 people have received both the first and second doses, translating to 40 percent of total population over 16 being vaccinated.
The district taskforce said it has intensified the vaccination programme which saw the introduction of mobile vaccination programmes in rural areas targeting the elderly and the vulnerable.
The chairperson of the District Covid-19 Taskforce, Mr Vitalis Kwashira, said the city was still worryingly lagging behind in terms of vaccination numbers.
“We are rolling out the vaccination programme within schools now,” he said.
“We are currently targeting 55 secondary schools in both rural and urban areas and we will be vaccinating those aged 16 and above so that we reduce the risk of students spreading the virus amongst themselves.”
Exam classes will be given first priority.
“We want the exam classes to be vaccinated first so that they get enough time to prepare for their examinations,” said Mr Kwashira.
“Also, as they gather for discussions and other revision classes, they reduce the spread of the virus amongst themselves or teachers and family members.”
The district has also intensified vaccination services, with local authorities’ clinics and government health institutions offering the services.
“We have made sure that almost every clinic in every part of Kwekwe is well equipped so that they can vaccinate anyone who is willing,” said Mr Kwashira.
“We want to ensure that by December we would have at least reached about 70 percent of the total population.”
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, recently visited Kwekwe District where he expressed his displeasure at the vaccination figures which stood at 33 percent by then and urged residents to get vaccinated.
Dr Chiwenga, who was officially commissioning the Kwekwe Infectious Disease Hospital, said there were few cities and towns like Hwange and Victoria Falls which had seen almost all adults vaccinated.
Online Reporter