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Mthabisi Tshuma, Chronicle Correspondent

MORE than 50 000 people are targeted to be vaccinated in Plumtree and Beitbridge during Government’s massive vaccination exercise targeting border towns.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care is rolling out a border posts vaccination campaign targeting close to 200 000 people countrywide excluding those in Victoria Falls were vaccinated started last month.

26 000 people are targeted to be vaccinated in Beitbridge and 25 000 people in Plumtree.

President Mnangagwa last month launched the second phase of the national vaccination programme in Victoria Falls and also took his first shot of the Sinovac vaccine.

Launched on February 18, the first phase of the campaign targeted some 60 000 healthcare and other front-line workers.

In an interview yesterday, Matabeleland South Provincial Epidemiology and Disease Control Officer Dr Andrew Felix Muza said a strategy meeting will be held tomorrow to identify vaccination points at the two towns.

“The launch of the massive vaccination programme will be tomorrow  in Beitbridge and we are expecting Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care and if he is caught up the Ministry of Health and Child Care principal director curative services will officiate,” said Dr Muza.

Speaking during a provincial taskforce meeting held on Sunday afternoon in Gwanda, Matabeleland South provincial Taskforce team chairperson under the Ad-Hoc Inter Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19, Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mangaliso Ndlovu said the roll out of the massive vaccination exercise comes a time when the province is lagging behind in terms of people getting inoculated.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu

“On February 18th the Government rolled out the vaccination programme and as Matabeleland South province where are we? You will realise that this is a province which is the gateway into the country.  We have two major land borders that people use when visiting into the country and this is what makes it important for the vaccination programme to be rolled out everywhere. Its two months today (Sunday) since the programme was rolled out and as of last Tuesday statistics availed to us at the Cabinet meeting, Matabeleland South had the lowest number of vaccinated people, 6 594,” said Minister Ndlovu.

“This is a cause of concern taking note that the area has active borders for country. It’s possible that we may have changed in the past week but we need to be talking to the people as we should be leading and be at the forefront.”

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