The ManicaPost
With a population of about 2 million people, approximately 60 percent of Manicaland is targeted for Covid-19 vaccination for the province to achieve herd immunity.
The same applies for the country’s population of 14 million.
But what exactly is herd immunity and how can we achieve it to stop the spread of Covid-19?
According to health experts, herd immunity occurs when the bulk of the population is immune to an infectious disease, in this case Covid-19. This immunity provides indirect protection (that is herd immunity) to those who are not immune to the disease.
Therefore with 60 percent of the population vaccinated, Covid-19 will meet great resistance as most people will become immune, thereby slowing it down significantly.
When Covid-19 first started to spread towards the end of 2019, nobody was immune to it as this was a novel virus.
Due to the lack of resistance, the virus quickly spread like a wild fire from China to every part of the world.
As of Wednesday, Zimbabwe’s cumulative cases of Covid-19 stood at 35 960, including 1 456 deaths and more than 32 410 recoveries.
Locally, various measures have been put in place to stop the spread of the disease, including the ongoing national lockdown which has seen schools, bars and restaurants, among many other facilities, being shut down to discourage physical interactions.
The measures seem to be paying off as exhibited by the country’s daily Covid-19 statistics.
But despite the marked decline in the new cases of Covid-19 over the past month, Zimbabwe rolled out its free and voluntary Covid-19 vaccination program on Thursday last week.
Front line workers and other vulnerable groups are targeted on this phase which will see 22 percent of the population getting vaccinated.
In the second phase 18,4 percent will be vaccinated, while another 18,4 percent will be vaccinated in the third phase; thus achieving the target of vaccinating nearly 60 percent of the entire population.
The program seeks to reach 10 million citizens and achieve herd immunity and from the flawless progress made so far, this target is within reach. In total, Zimbabwe has set aside $100 million for vaccine procurement.
After receiving a donation of 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China a fortnight ago, Zimbabwe has purchased 600 000 more doses that will soon be delivered in the country as the vaccination program gathers steam.
Zimbabwe is also engaging Russia over the procurement of its Sputnik vaccines and is expecting more doses from India, as well as the African Union and Covax facilities.
There has been global competition to get hold of the vaccines, and most African countries have been beaten to it by the richer countries.
The AU arrangement plans to pool supply arrangements on behalf of the 55 countries on the continent while the Covax facility is a global initiative which is working towards achieving equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines.
Zimbabwe is among the handful of African countries that have rolled out the vaccination program, including South Africa (Johnson&Johnson) Egypt (Sinopharm), Seychelles (Sinopharm &AstraZeneca) and Morocco (Sinopharm &AstraZeneca).
But perhaps what is even more disconcerting than the virus itself is the mistrust and conspiracy theories flying around with regards to the Covid-19 vaccines.
When Covid-19 was making its first wave, almost everyone was praying for a vaccine.
Now that the vaccine is here in Zimbabwe, the WhatsApp ‘doctors’ have launched an anti-vaccine campaign that has contributed to the scepticism surrounding the vaccines.
Government is going full throttle in engaging vaccine-hesitant citizens.
Some national leaders, including Vice President Constatino Chiwenga, have been at the forefront to allay hesitancy as they have received their jabs publicly.
Other prominent figures, including doctors and journalists, have done the same.
While getting vaccinated is entirely a personal choice, it is crucial to remember that the vaccine is safer than getting infected with the virus and fighting for survival in the Intensive Care Unit.
