Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter
HEALTH experts have urged people to get vaccinated and not be misled by the drop in daily infections that are being recorded and relaxation of the lockdown as the fourth wave could hit the country any time.
This follows a concern over the low uptake of the Covid-19 vaccines of late which has seen fewer people in the number of people receiving the vaccine daily.
Vaccines are readily available at various vaccination centres. A total of 5,9 million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. 3,3 million have received their first dose while 2,6 million have received their second dose.
Government is targeting to have vaccinated 10 million people by December in order to attain herd immunity. Herd immunity is achieved when most of a population is immune to an infectious disease.
This provides indirect protection to those who are not immune. In order to achieve this target Government has ensured the undisrupted supply of vaccines at various vaccination points across the country.
Some of the strategies include mobile outreach vaccination exercises being conducted across the country in order to reach more communities and cover remote parts of the country. Government has also brought on board various departments, institutions and private clinics that are also conducting the vaccination exercise.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 update also shows that 8 602 people received their first dose on Tuesday while 10 343 received their second dose. In September an average of 20 000 people were receiving their first dose daily. On September 3 a total of 32 152 received their first dose.
In August an average of 40 000 people were receiving their first dose daily. On August 17 a total of 53 978 people received their first dose. In October an average of 7 000 people have been receiving their first dose daily.Health experts have said the decline in figures was concerning as the country still had a long way to go in order to attain herd immunity and December was around the corner.
A few months ago most vaccination points were overwhelmed with people. In some cases, facilities were running out of vaccines because of high demand. Of late few people are turning up at vaccination centres. Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr John Mangwiro said it was important for people to get vaccinated as the fourth wave could hit any time.
“The fourth wave is around the corner and we can see from the news that we watch that other countries are already in trouble. We already know the trend that once it starts in other countries it’s going to definitely come to us and the only solution, we have found is the vaccination.
When the lockdown was relaxed people relaxed to get vaccinated but people must realise that the Covid-19 pandemic is still here and it might continue with us until 2023 to 2024,” he said.
Dr Mangwiro said the pandemic had become even more vicious that when it started. He said Government has roped in various stakeholders to go to the ground and educate people on the need to get vaccinated.
He said vaccination outreach programmes were still ongoing and were also targeting hard-to-reach areas.Bulawayo health services director Dr Edwin Sibanda said vaccines were available but there were now few takers. He said this was probably because the population which was keen on getting vaccinated had been catered for.
“These days we no longer have queues at our vaccination points. The vaccines are there but people are no longer coming in numbers as they used to.
This is probably because those who were keen to get vaccinated have been attended to and we are now left with people that need convincing. Some were coming for vaccination out of fear of the pandemic,” he said.
Matabeleland South Provincial Nursing Officer Mrs Joyce Dube said vaccines were readily available in all vaccination points across the province but turnout was now low.
She said the province has 143 health facilities and all were vaccination points. She said unlike before all their vaccination points were no longer running out of vaccines.
Mrs Dube said considering the number of people that had been vaccinated and the target, a lot of people were not yet vaccinated. She said people were still expected to be flocking vaccination centres instead of this low turnout. She said they were now using integrated outreaches to cover much ground in the rural areas. — @DubeMatutu
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