First Doses of COVI-19 Vaccines Run Out.
Nonhlanhla Ngwenya
Following ongoing efforts by the government and Civil Society Organisations encouraging citizens to get vaccination, Harare City Council say it has run out of first vaccination doses.
Responding to a question raised by the audience at a ” COVID-19 Vaccination Access to Information High Level Stakeholders Meeting” organised by Vendors Intiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) in Harare, council’s spokes-person Micheal Chideme said they are yet to receive another batch of first doses from the government.
Chideme went on to say that Harare is only vaccinating those who are receiving second doses. “At the moment we are waiting for the first dose vaccinations from government …so it means we are not vaccinating the first one at the moment just the second dose”, said Chideme.
A survey carried out by one of the health practitioners at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital yielded that availability of information on vaccination is critical in ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore relevant authorities are urges to should use friendly information dissemination platforms to certain society to help citizens make informed decision after weighing negative and positive outcomes of the vaccine.
While the government and it’s stakeholders continue to encourage citizens to be vaccinated, Harare residents reiterate that transparency on information flow about vaccination process will boost confidence and trust to the government’s call.
In order to ease the process for the residents and achieve head immunity, Harare city council has allocated 24 vaccination centres across the city in local suburbs of Harare.
Vendors Intiative for Social and Economic Transformation communications officer, Jabulani Chikomwe noted that marginalised areas should also have access to information and COVID-19 doses.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care not more than 3% (less than a million) of the total population had been vaccinated.
