…as they thrive to reach 100k vaccination target
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI District has already began administering Covid-19 booster shots, with almost 385 people having been inoculated as of February 2022 while more than 70 000 people have since received their first doses while 60 000 have been inoculated twice in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly Corona virus, TellZim News can report.
A Covid-19 booster shot is an additional dose of a vaccine given after the immunity provided by the initial shots has begun to decrease over time. The booster helps people maintain strong protection from severe coronavirus disease effects, even against the Delta and Omicron variants.
In an interview, Chiredzi District Medical Superintendent, Doctor Brian Dhlandhlara said the district has since started administering booster shots and they have so far jabbed 385 people, with 79 988 people having been vaccinated with first shots while 59 997 with two shots.
“Chiredzi District has since started administering Covid-19 booster shots with 385 people having been vaccinated while 59 887 have been fully vaccinated and 79 988 have since been jabbed once,” said Doctor Dhlandhlara.
A Center for Disease Control (CDC) study shows that being fully vaccinated plus receiving a booster shot provides better immunity from severity of the disease, hospitalization and death due to Covid-19 compared to only having two shots.
Chiredzi, being the economic hub for Masvingo province, with a vibrant agricultural industry employing more than 20 000 employees as well as its proximity to South Africa and Mozambique, where people are illegally crossing in and out of the country, risking people from various Covid-19 variants, booster shots will help with an advanced protection.
Chiredzi is exponentially growing with an estimated population of about 120 000 people with almost half of the population having received their first jab.