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Mashudu Netsianda and Yvonne Ncube, Chronicle Reporters
MORE than 1 200 informal traders were vaccinated against Covid-19 in Bulawayo on the first day of the national mass exercise with health authorities indicating that residents are embracing the programme as evidenced by a huge turnout.

The programme was rolled out on Monday with scores of Bulawayo residents, mostly informal traders, thronging various mobile centres dotted across the city to get vaccinated.

The vaccination programme will see 15 000 people from hotspots in the city being inoculated in less than 10 days.

The province is targeting to vaccinate at least 400 000 residents to achieve herd immunity, amid a surge in cases and deaths in the past few days.

The city can achieve herd immunity if 330 000 residents get vaccinated as 70 000 residents have already been inoculated.

In an interview, acting Bulawayo provincial medical director Dr Welcome Mlilo said they inoculated 1 203 informal traders on Monday.

“Yesterday (Monday) was the first day of the vaccination blitz aimed at vaccinating informal traders at market places. We vaccinated a total of 1 203 informal traders and we expect that going forward we will exceed this number significantly,” he said.

Dr Mlilo said they were optimistic that they would be able to reach the targeted number of 15 000 people before the end of the exercise.

“We have no doubt that we will reach the targeted number of 15 000 people by end of the programme if not sooner. The programme has been very well accepted and it is expected to go on without hitches,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care daily Covid-19 report, the country on Tuesday recorded 28 deaths and 1 949 new cases.

As at July 6, the country had recorded 57 963 confirmed cases, 1 939 deaths and 41 624 recoveries. The national recovery rate has further declined to 72 percent as active cases go up to 14 400.

To date, a total of 807 633 people have received the first dose while 574 934 people got the second jab. On the first day there was a stampede as people jostled to be inoculated in Bulawayo.

At some centres, such as Cowdray Park Bus Terminus and Lobengula Street/Third Avenue in the city centre, the process moved smoothly with queues moving faster than other points such as City Hall, Renkini and Nkulumane Hall which were characterised by chaotic scenes as people shoved and pushed each other.

Police had a torrid time as they tried to control meandering queues.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care show that Bulawayo has the highest Incidence Risk of 906, almost double that of Harare at 567 while Matabeleland South has 402.

Health authorities said the increasing infection rate has highlighted the need to increase the pace at which people are getting the vaccine to ensure the country attains herd immunity.-@mashnets @SeehYvonne