By Wilbert Mukori- In July 2021 the Zanu PF regime promised to administer 100 000 covid 19 vaccine jabs per day and in the remaining 180 days of that year would have delivered 18 million jabs, two jabs each to the target 10 million herd immunity. However, with the reduced 4 000 jabs per day or 1.6 million per year it is going to take much longer to hit the 10 million target.
To date 6.28 million, 4.62 million and 0.86 million have received the first, second and third vaccine jabs in Zimbabwe respectively according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health. And so, it will take six years to June 2028 to finally get 10 million vaccinated with two jabs.
As we know the times have moved on, three jabs are now required instead of two. It will take a further six years from 2028 to 2035 to have the three jabs on the 10 million target herd immunity at the present rate of 4 000 jabs per day!
Many countries in the developed countries have 80% plus of their target herd immunised with three jabs, giving them the confidence to lift most of the covid 19 restrictions that had caused so much human suffering and economic disruption.
There signs are, mankind will have to live with corona virus for decades to come, at least, or be it a significant segment of the population will need annual booster vaccination jabs as is the case with the common flu, for example.
Until Zimbabwe reach the target 10 million with three jabs, the country will continue to live with covid 19 hanging over our heads like “the sword of Damocles”. There will be new corona virus outbreaks and, with each outbreak, many of the covid 19 restrictions will return, many of the people without the protection of the three jabs will catch the virus become seriously ill and many will die.
Officially, 5 549 Zimbabweans have died of corona virus since March 2020 when Zororo Makamba died, the first covid 19 death in Zimbabwe. Many people do not believe the official figure; for one thing the country’s covid 19 testing regime has been wilfully inadequate.
The true figure is 1 million cases and 25 000 deaths, or ¼ those of South Africa which are 3.99 million cases and 101 745 deaths respectively. Zimbabwe’s population of roughly ¼ that of S A and the two countries’ covid 19 cases have mirrored that of the other given the heavy human traffic between the two countries throughout the covid 19 years. S A’s covid 19 test regime has been more diligent are therefore the figures are more reliable.
Indeed, one would expect Zimbabwe’s covid 19 figures to be much worse than just being ¼ those of our southern neighbour given our health care service is in sorry state and by failing to test, trace and track Zimbabwe would have helped the virus spread far and wide, making our situation even worse!
Zimbabwe is losing a staggering US$ 1.2 billion per year to gold smugglers alone, enough to have funded and delivered the 100 000 covid 19 vaccines jabs per day meeting the nation’s herd immunity target by December 2021. To have this covid 19 threat, “the sword of Damocles”, hangover our heads for another six years before we can reach the two relative safety of two jabs is unbearable particularly when the delay is because of the insatiable greed of few!
The grim ripper, corona virus, has six more years to add to Zimbabwe’s estimated 25 000 covid 19 death toll thanks to Zanu PF’s failure to deliver own its promise to stamp out corruption and deliver 100 000 vaccine jabs per day. As it is the regime is delivering a mere 4 000 jabs per day or 4% of what promised because it has all but failed to stamp out corruption!