Staff Reporter
….. As it seeks to reduce congestion at vaccination points
In order to minimize the time spent in queues, extra personnel from security and defence forces have been harnessed so as to increase the numbers of personnel at vaccination centres across the country, a Government official has revealed.
Speaking during a Post Cabinet Press Briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said Government was working hard to equip health personnel on the ground with necessary resources in an effort to speed up the vaccination programme and meet the targeted heard immunity.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Care, working with relevant Government Departments, is taking measures to ensure that vaccination, rapid response and case management teams are supported with vehicles, fuel and subsistence allowance to ensure that the country achieves herd immunity,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
The Minister advised the nation that the Ministry of Health and Child Care had printed adequate stocks of vaccinations cards with security features and was expediting the distribution process to all provinces.
She further reported that Sinopharm and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines were now available on the COVAX Platform and Government would take advantage of the African Union Facility to boost local supplies of the vaccines.
Regarding the two million doses of vaccine that the Ministry of Health and Child Care received on the 8th of July, 2021, Minister Mutsvangwa reported that every province received 50 000 first doses except for Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan provinces which received 100 000 doses each.
“A total of 1.5 million vaccine doses will be distributed this coming week. The nation is informed that vaccination is now open to everybody, with frontline personnel still being prioritized at vaccination centres,” she said.
The Minister said Cabinet was pleased to note that citizens across the country continue to present themselves for vaccination in large numbers adding that massive vaccination will also be extended to rural areas which are identified as hotspots.
The worst affected provinces are Mashonaland West with (2 107), Mashonaland Central (1 142), Harare Metropolitan (1 894), Mashonaland East (1 658) and Midlands (1 058) cases.
Minister Mutsvangwa noted that the surge in cases had led to an increase in demand for beds, hence Government was expediting the full capacitation of isolation and treatment centres throughout the country.
Meanwhile, as at 13 July, 2021, Zimbabwe had 73 271 confirmed cases, including 48 102 recoveries and 2284 deaths. To date, a total of 955656 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
