Zimbabwe has as of Thursday last week administered 10 million COVID-19 doses, a year after starting the vaccination campaign meant to deal with the pandemic that paralysed the world for much of 2020 and 2021.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the total number of doses administered reached 10 009 053 on Thursday last week with almost 20 percent of those given since the start of the major blitz launched on March 21.
By Saturday 5 822 347 people had taken the first dose while 3 632 110 had their second dose, representing 32,31 percent of the targeted population.
Of the 3 632 110 who took their second dose, 578 222 have gone a step further to take the third booster shot which is 5,14 percent of the total targeted group.
The gap between the number of first and second doses expected to close rapidly early next month as children go back to school and the second phase of the blitz sees the large number vaccinated at the end of March and beginning of April, line up routinely for the second shot.
However there is still a large group, of close to 1 million, who had their first dose well before the blitz but have yet to go back for a second shot.
Fully vaccinated people with two shots are now able to travel in and out of Zimbabwe without having to get an expensive PCR negative test and are able to go to restaurants, bars and nightclubs and can play and watch sport. So there are a lot of advantages. They can also work in the civil service, where vaccination is compulsory.
