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GOVERNMENT has announced that Covid-19 mass vaccination which started in the resort city of Victoria Falls, will now be extended to the country’s biggest cities, Bulawayo and Harare.

The mass vaccination was this week launched in the border towns of Beitbridge and Plumtree. Bulawayo and Harare have been included in the border towns mass vaccination programme because of the many flights that come in and leave the two cities daily.

Addressing members of the Bulawayo Provincial Covid-19 taskforce on Tuesday, chairperson of the taskforce who is also Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo said preparations are underway to make sure mass vaccinations in Bulawayo and Harare run concurrently with those of the border towns.

He said the target was to have as many people vaccinated in order to have herd immunity.

Minister Moyo assured the nation that funds are being availed to procure the vaccines to ensure the programme does not stop.

He said some companies in the private and public sectors had started availing funds to buy vaccines. This is a commendable move by the companies which must be applauded.

Companies by availing funds for vaccines are complementing Government efforts in fighting the pandemic which is threatening the country’s manpower.

The decision by Government to include Bulawayo and Harare in the border towns mass vaccination programme is well informed given that the two cities are receiving a lot of foreigners that include tourists who come by air.

There is therefore, a need to adequately prepare for the rollout of this massive vaccination in the two cities.

According to the Bulawayo City Council’s Director of Health Services, Dr Edwin Sibanda, the city has limited stocks of the vaccines and is left with less than two weeks’ supply.

Government needs to urgently increase the supply of the vaccines to the city before the start of the mass vaccination. There is also a need to increase the number of workers involved in the programme as the workers on the programme are being overwhelmed by the number of people coming forward for vaccination.

The city health department is failing to cope with the demand for service despite the fact that it is only vaccinating frontline workers and those from special groups that include the elderly and those with underlying conditions.

There is therefore, a need to probably more than double the number of workers involved in the vaccination before the start of the mass vaccination. The media is once again implored to play its critical role of disseminating correct information that assists in mobilising residents for this mass vaccination.

The social media should not be used to peddle falsehoods but should instead be a very useful tool to disseminate information to reach as many people including those in remote areas given that many people now have cellphones.