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Ministry of Health and Child Care statistics indicates that a few people are keen to get the third dose compared to the first and second dose. Image by Depositphotos
BY LETHOKUHLE NKOMO | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | APR 8, 2022
A drive by the central government to promote the COVID-19 booster jab is finding few takers in Binga, one of the region’s least developed district.
BINGA (The Citizen Bulletin) — A booster jab touted by the department of health in the central government is finding fewer takers in Binga, one of the least COVID-19 hit areas in Matabeleland North.
Saymore Siansole, a Binga resident says he has not taken a booster jab because of fears of not getting the correct vaccine.
“It was a struggle for me to get my second dose of the Sinovac vaccine. Every time I went to the Binga ZRP Clinic for my second dose, I was told the dose had been finished and told to wait for its arrival.”
Saymore Siansole
“I ended up getting the second jab after I travelled to Hwange. I have not bothered looking for the booster jab after the frustrations I experienced in getting the second jab.”
Another resident Lufuno Mudimba says there has been poor communication on the booster jabs.
“Information on the booster jab has not been fairly distributed in Binga district compared to the first and second jabs,” Mudimba says.
Countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India were among the first in the world to roll out booster shots.
Zimbabwe has authorized the use of a coterie of vaccines including Modena, Pfizer BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson amongst others currently being used across many countries to contain the coronavirus. The central government has spearheaded the implementation of booster vaccinations with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga recently getting a third dose.
The Binga District Residents Association says it is concerned about access to information on the vaccine.
Alfred Mudenda, an executive member of the Binga District Residents Association says there is a need to simplify information about the booster vaccines.
“Information about the booster has not been shared effectively. Here in Binga we do not trust the booster, and there have been a lot of myths and beliefs towards it.”
Alfred Mudenda, Binga DRA
“We have heard a lot about the vaccines but we need to know more about the vaccines.”
Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care indicates that a few people are keen to get the third dose compared to the first and second dose.
Children line up to get jabbed after the ministry of health launch COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to 12-year-olds and above. Image by AP
“There is a low turnout for the third dose. There was a time we recorded 3 people for the third dose in a week,” says a health expert from Binga hospital who refused to be named.
Binga district has 17 vaccination centers for its 24 wards.
Despite it being the largest district in Matebeleland North province, the district has one local hospital and despite awareness campaigns made by the Ministry of Health and Child Care about the vaccines, in Binga there is still a low turnout for vaccination.
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The Health and Child Care ministry has since launched a new COVID-19 vaccination campaign that includes jabbing children aged 12 and above to rescue a drive faltering due to vaccine hesitancy and complacency.
According to statistics from the Health and Child Care ministry, as of March 28, the country recorded 122 new COVID-19 cases and no person succumbed to the virus. Statistics also show that the seven day rolling average fell from 190 on March 27 to 188 on March 28.
As at 23 March 2022, Zimbabwe had 245 194 confirmed cases, including 235 505 recoveries and 5 432 deaths. To date, a total of 4 585 820 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
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