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MATABELELAND region will today roll out its Covid-19 vaccination exercise with Bulawayo province set to inoculate 6 600 frontline workers under the first phase of the programme.

The province received 13 200 doses while Matabeleland North got 8 610. Matabeleland South was allocated 11 000 doses with the Midlands receiving 11 800 under the initial stage.

Government is targeting frontline workers who are at high risk of Covid-19 and these include health workers, ports of entry personnel, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, immigration and village health workers.

The Matabeleland regional Covid-19 vaccination rollout programme is set to be launched at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) today after the three provinces received their consignments last week. Most provinces received their share of vaccinations on Friday ahead of today’s commencement of immunisation at district level.

The country’s vaccination programme started in Harare on Thursday following the donation of 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine by China, with Vice-President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care volunteering to take the first jab.

Bulawayo city health director Dr Edwin Sibanda yesterday told Chronicle that they have set up 22 permanent vaccination centres and four teams will conduct the inoculations in the city. “We are going to have four teams in Bulawayo doing the vaccinations from tomorrow (today) to the 3rd of March and each group will consist of five people. Team one will be targeting healthcare workers at Mpilo Central Hospital where 2 063 healthcare workers will be vaccinated,” he said.

“Team two will target 1 712 health care workers at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) with team three set to cover Ingutsheni Central Hospital as well as Bulawayo City Council’s Khami Pharmacy and Khami Road Clinic.”

Dr Sibanda said team four will focus on the city’s 19 clinics, cemeteries and private hospitals.

“The same team will go to Royal Women’s Clinic, All Saints Hospital in Hillside, Hillside Premier Hospital, Mater Dei Hospital and some health care workers at Tower Block in the city together with our fire and ambulance crews,” he said.

Dr Sibanda said the main teams will be operating from Mpilo Central Hospital, UBH, Ingutsheni Central Hospital and 19 council clinics while other facilities will be serviced by mobile teams.

Acting Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director Dr Munekayi Padingani said the province is ready to kick-start its vaccination programme today.

He said all districts except Binga had received the vaccine after the province took delivery of 8 610 doses.

The province has four border posts namely Victoria Falls and Binga on the border with Zambia as well as Kazungula and Pandamatenga on the border with Botswana. There is also Victoria Falls International Airport.

In Matabeleland South, vaccination also starts today with the number of health workers who have registered to get the Sinopharm vaccine having surpassed the 11 000 doses received in the province.

Officials have identified places where the jabs will be administered with district hospitals set to be the central centres, while mobile teams will vaccinate other health workers from the public and private sector. Matabeleland South Provincial nurse officer Joyce Dube said the jabs were successfully distributed to all districts over the weekend.

“On Saturday vaccines reached Umzingwane, Insiza, Gwanda and Beitbridge districts while yesterday they were delivered to Bulilima, Mangwe and Matobo districts. Everything is in place for the programme to commence in the province as teams have been trained,” she said. In the Midlands province, provincial heads of Government departments on Friday attended a conscientisation workshop on the Covid-19 vaccination programme ahead of the rollout today.

The training was held at Gweru Polytechnic College during which the Provincial Nursing Officer Ms Porina Rwenhamo explained how the vaccination will go a long way in mitigating against the spread of the virus.

Ms Rwenhamo said the vaccination programme is going to start with health workers. She said the exercise will be on a voluntary basis.

“This is a good and effective method of preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, even after the vaccination, people should continue practising social distancing, use of masks, good hygiene,” she said.

“This vaccination will be on a voluntary basis and if you feel like you don’t want to be inoculated no one will force you.”

An additional 600 000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine procured by Government from Chinese pharmaceutical giant, Sinopharm, will land in the country next week as authorities intensify the country’s vaccination drive. The country is expected to receive additional vaccination doses from the African Union’s Global Fund Covax facility soon, while India has pledged to donate 75  000, with an option for Zimbabwe to buy more.

Russia has also pledged to assist the country to secure more vaccines.

Government has set aside US$100 million to procure vaccines to inoculate 10 million people to achieve herd immunity.