By Wilbert Mukori | “ZIMBABWE has been ranked the 7th best African country in managing COVID-19 vaccination, beating its neighbour South Africa which came a distant 31 on the rankings ladder,” reported News Day.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) FT vaccine tracker seen by NewsDay yesterday, Zimbabwe emerged one of the best African countries doing well in the management of COVID-19 vaccination in rankings where Seychelles, also a SADC country, claimed the top post.”
Zimbabwe has consistently had one of the lowest corona virus cases and deaths per capita anywhere in the world. The explanation has been obvious; the country has not been testing for the virus even when it should do so.
At the peak of the last corona virus wave late last year, SA was carrying out over 44 000 tests per day. Zimbabwe, with ¼ of SA’s population, should have been doing over 11 000 tests per day; was doing 1 500 tests per day or 10%.
Zimbabwe has received 400 000 and 200 000 of Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccine doses donated by China and 35 000 doses donated by India. The country has since bought one million Sinovac vaccines from China and Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has said the country will be buying one million doses very month.
There have been no reports of the country running out of vaccines since mid February 2021 when the country received the 200 000 Sinopharm vaccine. And according to the Minister of Health’s 3 May corona virus report, 427 753 people have received their first jab and 99 765 have receive their first and second jab.
So, it has taken two and half months to administer just over 600 000 vaccines and vaccinating just over half a million. We need to vaccinate 10 million to reach herd immunity and this will take 50 months or just over 4 years. And throughout that period we will be a sitting duck; hoping against hope that the nation is spared the serious corona virus outbreak as happening in India and Brazil!
US President, Joe Biden, set himself the target to vaccinating 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office. He vaccinated 150 million or 50% of the country’s adult population and is set to reach the 70% herd immunity by 4 July 2021. Zimbabwe has vaccinated half a million or 5% in the last 100 days and for that we receive praise and accolades! For what, one might ask!
“It’s very true that Zimbabwe is ranked as such, actually it’s one of the best in Africa and SADC,” explained Johannes Marisa, acting President of Zimbabwe Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association.
“It’s a true reflection of what’s happening in terms of the vaccination programme. Why? If you notice, we are the fast-mover. We actually moved fast on vaccination. Remember, we sent a whole plane to China to collect the first 200 000 vaccine vials yet no other country had undertaken that step.”
The corona virus pandemic is the most serious existential threat of our time and since the only sure defence is to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible. We should be moving heaven and earth to vaccinate our people a.s.a.p. Whilst other nations have vaccinated 50% plus of their people in the last three months, we have only managed to vaccinate a paltry 5% in the same time and are over the moon about that.
One can understand if the country has only managed to vaccinate 5% of the target population in three months because it ran out of vaccines. The Minister of Finance has promised to procure one million vaccine a month and it is simply not good enough to hear the country can only administer 600 000 vaccines in three months. If such a pathetic performance deserves the ranking of 7 best performer then, compared to the rest of the world, the bar must been brought down very, very low indeed.
Indeed, one is given to ask the busy bodies at WHO FT vaccine tracker, who produced this ranking, whether this is a genuine race or just one of those UN rat race to the bottom? Race has no starting point, finishing point and no time limit and everyone will be declared the winner guaranteed!- SOURCE: zimbabwelight.blogspot.com