The government has warned citizens against complacency in the fight against COVID-19 saying the threat is still there despite a drop in number of new infections.
Speaking at the launch of the Private Sector COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, Deputy minister of health and child care Dr John Mangwiro said the country is fortunate to have been spared the huge number of infections and deaths being experienced in other parts of the world.
“We must not be complacent. The results of complacency can be seen in the frightening escalation we experienced in both confirmed infections and deaths at the beginning of the year, necessitating tightening the lockdown again. It should serve as a warning to those who still do not take the disease seriously that we are not immune from the consequences that some other nations have experienced and are experiencing,” he said.
Dr Mangwiro said the country still has people infected with the virus, some of whom are in serious conditions hence the need for mass vaccination.
“We live in a global village, which is why the pandemic spread so quickly worldwide. This is the reason why scientists worked so hard to come up with a vaccine as soon as they possibly could. Therefore it is important for as many people to be vaccinated, not only for their own protection and the protection of their own nation but in the interests of every other nation,” he added.
Mangwiro blamed social media for creating skepticism around COVID-19 vaccines.
“This skepticism has been exacerbated by a considerable amount of fake news circulating on social media. We appreciate the steps taken by some of you to counter such fake news and misguided beliefs by providing information about the vaccines and how they were developed. I know that Cimas, which is the Programme Technical Partner and Health Advisor to the Business Member Organizations, has been proactive in providing its own members with factual information about the vaccine,” said.
Cimas Chairperson, Emma Pfundira said they intend to establish private sector vaccination centres throughout the country.
“We at Cimas have been actively preparing our members for vaccinations, at the same time providing detailed technical information about the vaccines, how they have been developed, how they work and the fact that they do not contain any live virus as well as responding to frequently asked questions about the vaccines.
“As advised by CDC the Centre for Disease and Control – US Department of Health and Human Science – “The overall risk of hospitalization and death among fully vaccinated people will be much lower than among people with similar risk factors who are not vaccinated,” said Pfundira.
