The Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has successfully carried a community-based assistance programme that has helped locals.

In the initiative, the army has vaccinated 34 788 civilians against Covid-19 during its expanded vaccination programme, which coincided with the National Heroes Day Commemorations.

The programme, carried out by the ZNA’s health personnel and launched on 2 August, was dubbed Zimbabwe Defence Forces Community Assistance Week.

In a statement, ZNA said a total of 10 582 civilians were vaccinated at centres designated for the exercise in Matabeleland North, South and Bulawayo provinces.

Tsholotsho Centre and Bulawayo’s Emganwini had the highest numbers of vaccinated people in the three provinces, with 2 898 and 1 570 people being inoculated, respectively.

In Mashonaland East, 4 076 people were vaccinated while 3 102 received their jabs in Manicaland.
The army also inoculated 2 354 people in different centres designated for the exercise in Masvingo while 6 410 were jabbed in Midlands.
Under the programme, Harare saw 2 766 being vaccinated with 2 266 vaccinations carried out in Mashonaland West while 3 232 were inoculated in Mashonaland Central.
Zimbabwe is on an unprecedented, accelerated drive to inoculate at least 10 million citizens to achieve the much-desired herd immunity by the end of the year.
The country is keen to tame a raging Covid-19 menace that has seen deaths climb to an alarming 3 950 as of 10 August, up from 3 583 reported a week ago, according to Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa at a post-cabinet media briefing Wednesday.
Cumulative cases surged to 117 258, up from 109 546 reported last week.
In terms of vaccination, a total of 1 912 592 persons had received the first dose of the vaccine, 1 061 238 had received their second during the period under review.
This translates to national coverage of 22.3% and 12.3% for the first and second doses, respectively.