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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
BULAWAYO province has launched the second phase of mass Covid-19 vaccination exercise targeted at 12-15-year-olds amid growing concern that some residents are abusing sanitisers meant to curb the spread of the global pandemic.

The province joins the whole country in rolling out vaccines to the specified age group after paediatricians and other health experts recommended that children could be inoculated against Covid-19.

As of Thursday, Zimbabwe had a cumulative total of 248 150 confirmed cases, including 241  939 recoveries and 5 472 deaths.

To date, a total of 5 878 816 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, 3  713  527 their second dose and a total of 617  635 their third dose.

Vaccination

Bulawayo’s town clerk Mr Christopher Dube said vaccination is being done at all municipal clinics, central hospitals, Mater Dei Hospital, primary schools, secondary schools and outreach points.

He said the programme will run up to May 17.

“The City of Bulawayo in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and partners will be conducting the second round of the vaccination programme targeting the 12 to 15 year age group. The vaccination of the 16 years and above age group will continue.

Based on the available scientific data in line with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe guidance, the specialist paediatricians further recommended the vaccination of the 12 to 15 years old age group,” said Mr Dube.

Speaking during a stakeholders Covid-19 vaccine update meeting yesterday, Bulawayo’s divisional environmental health and epidemiology manager Dr Nhlonipho Sibanda said the province had done well in combating the spread of Covid-19.

She said although new cases and deaths are on the decline, there are still a few challenges threatening Bulawayo’s progress towards containing Covid-19.

Mater Dei Hospital

“We have recorded a decrease in the number of new cases and death overtime and we are grateful to our stakeholders for the work in helping us fight this disease. We are however, worried as there have been incidents where people abuse sanitisers. We have people who would rather drink or smoke sanitisers which are meant to help us maintain hand hygiene,” said Dr Sibanda.

“We still have challenges with regards to adherence. We have since noted with concern that some people are no longer wearing masks or practising social distancing yet we know that our Covid-19 cases can easily shoot up since we are in winter.”

Covid-19 – Image taken from Shutterstock

During the phase, Bulawayo was targeting to vaccinate 64 588 12-15-year-olds by April 4 this year but only 54 percent of those were vaccinated.

Dr Sibanda said members of the public also need to be wary of other non-communicable diseases that usually emerge once one acquires Covid-19 which tends to compromise quality of health. — @thamamoe