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Yvonne Ncube, Chronicle Reporter
MORE than 110 000 people had by Saturday been vaccinated against Covid-19 in the country since the programme started in February, the Ministry of Health and Child Care has said.

Vice-President, Dr Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care, volunteered to take the first jab of the Sinopharm vaccine when Zimbabwe launched the Covid-19 vaccination programme in February. The gesture went a long way in assuring health care workers, who were among the first to be vaccinated.

In an update on Saturday, the Health Ministry said the number of people who had received the first dose on that day was 7 773, bringing the total since February to 111 588. Those who received their second dose on Saturday were 389, taking the total number of people to be fully vaccinated to 21 327. Covid-19 cases were 36 911 on the day after eight new ones were recorded. There were no deaths on Saturday and since March last year, total deaths stood at 1 524.

President Mnangagwa received his first jab of the Sinovac vaccine in Victoria Falls last month as he launched the second phase of the national vaccination programme.

Leaders of 23 parties in the country also received the jab, as the nation vigorously pursues its mission to have 60 percent of the population vaccinated against a pandemic that knows no political affiliation.

As part of the second phase of the national vaccination programme, residents of the country’s premium tourism city are being vaccinated for free on a voluntary basis, so as to reopen the critical sector that has been adversely affected by the pandemic.

In his address the President urged the nation to accept the Covid-19 vaccine jabs as they are key to the opening of the economy.

“Let me reiterate the global call by the World Health Organisation that ‘no-one is safe, until everyone is safe’. I therefore challenge all of us in our respective communities to accept the vaccination programme and to shun vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and the negative conspiracy theories. Getting vaccinated is a personal and a family responsibility as well as national obligation,” the President said. — @SeehYvonne