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| Woman receiving the vaccine in Masvingo |
Kimberly Kusauka
Thousands of people continue to get their dosages of various Covid-19 vaccines in Masvingo as the vaccination drive continues to gain momentum, TellZim can report.
An increase in the uptake of both the first and second dosage has been recorded across the province’s medical centres since the beginning of the phased vaccination programme in February this year.
Masvingo Provincial Covid-19 Taskforce spokesperson, Rodgers Irimayi told TellZim that the uptake was increasing as each day passes and that the public were beginning to understand the efficacy of the vaccine.
“As of today (May 27) a total number of 37 245 received their first dose while 18 236 received the second dose, resulting in the increase since the introduction of the phased vaccination program. We are pleased that people are showing up to get vaccinated in huge numbers,” said Irimayi.
Masvingo Provincial Medical Director (PMD), Dr Amadeus Shamhu said although the program was not yet open to everyone, they were not denying anyone the chance to get vaccinated.
“We are still targeting the elderly, teachers, religious leaders and people with chronic diseases. The programme is still not yet open to everyone but if someone comes to a vaccination center, we will not turn them away.
“We are happy with the progress which we are making especially with the increase in the uptake of the vaccine. We urge those who are supposed to be vaccinated in this second phase to fully utilize their chance, as there are high chances of congestion in the third phase,” said Shamu.
However, contradictory to what Dr Shamu told TellZim News, health officials at Masvingo Provincial Hospital are turning away people who are not classified in the second phase.
Masvingo received its first batch of 22 000 SinoPharm vaccines in February for 11 000 frontline workers and also received a consignment of Sinovac vaccine in April.
