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The country is set to take delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine in the next few weeks and modalities are being worked out for it to be administered on the people to try and curb the disease.

The rollout of the vaccine will indeed be a welcome respite especially now when the second wave of the infection is sickening thousands, taking the lives of some of them.

However, that breakthrough has been met with grumblings in some quarters. Some people, including influential religious leaders have been voicing what have been described as conspiracy theories. They think that the vaccines could be dangerous to those who take them because their efficacy has, in their view, not been sufficiently verified.

The other argument has been that some of the vaccines have been developed as a deliberate strategy to depopulate Africa. That will be frightening if indeed that’s the strategy from the developers.

However, the Government has come out strongly, emphasising that it would take a cautious approach in picking and rolling out of the vaccine, at the same time urging the people to discard the conspiracy theories.

In a statement recently, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care, said he was aware that many Zimbabweans were curious about the Covid-19 vaccine which is being rolled out in other countries.

“I am also aware that some of our citizens are anxious to get vaccinated. The Government is following the development and dissemination of Covid-19 vaccines by other States, with keen interest. Despite the observations made that other African, European and Asian countries had started rolling out vaccines, Zimbabwe adopted a measured approach, with experts interrogating all safety concerns,” said VP Chiwenga.

“As soon as all technical and administrative obligations are met, Zimbabweans can expect to be vaccinated. The vaccination is going to be voluntary. Let me underscore that my ministry is doing everything possible to ensure that our citizens are safe from possible side effects of some Covid-19 vaccines, currently on the shelf.”

Days later the National Covid-19 taskforce coordinator Dr Agnes Mahomva stressed that the Government was putting in place all the necessary safety measures before rolling out Covid-19 treatment.

“We want to re-assure our communities, religious leaders, religious groups and so on that Government is dedicated to ensuring that whatever we provide for treatment or prevention is safe for everyone. The Government will never plan on providing something that will damage communities and individuals. That is not what Government is there to do,” said Dr Mahomva.

The Government’s cautious approach and the fact that thorough investigations would be made before the vaccines are administered on the people are reassuring. It goes a long way to respond to the conspiracy theories and those who genuinely think that a Covid-19 vaccine could be a danger to people’s health.

We hope that the vaccine is delivered as soon as possible and thoroughgoing investigations undertaken to verify their safety to people’s health and get the thumbs up.

Covid-19 is real and the people are suffering.

However, as we await the necessary checks and vaccine rollout, let’s continue masking up, washing our hands regularly, practising social distancing and taking the herbs that the Government has indicated could assist in preventing infection or alleviate some symptoms.