By Farai D Hove | The Mayor of Harare Jacob Mafume has been vaccinated with the Russian Sputnik.

Mayor Mafume made the revelations on Sunday night indicating he encourages others to do the same.

The development comes as COVID rates spiked in the country.

Sputnik V or Gam-COVID-Vac is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute in Russia.

Announcing the development Mayor Mafume said

“As the Mayor of Harare, I have had my vaccination.

“At this point we need to get any and all the protection we can get. For us to see life returning to normal we have to be vaccinated. We call for gvt to get any and all the vaccines available.

“Our very life depends on it. We need to give our bodies a fighting chance. We are crying everyday. We need to stop the tears. We pray for the dearly departed.

“We ask for God’s protection in this difficult time. “