As of 12 June 2022, 6, 249 549 Zimbabweans have received their first doses of Covid-19 vaccines 4, 581 185 have received their second jabs. The figure for those who have received their booster shots, also known as third jabs stood at 841 330.
These statistics fall far short of the 10 million herd immunity target whose last December deadline was missed.
Below are some of the reasons why Zimbabweans are shying away from Covid-19 vaccines, according to a recent survey:
- Lack of trust in the vaccines
- Beliefs in divine protection against diseases
- Perceptions that Covid-19 is not life-threatening
- Perceptions that one is not at risk of contracting coronavirus
- Religious objections
For more, see the table below:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently urged countries across the globe to continue vaccinating and testing their populations for Covid-19 despite a decline in cases.
“Reported cases and deaths from Covid-19 continue to decline globally, although this trend should be interpreted with caution because many countries have reduced the number of tests they do, which in turn reduces the number of cases they find,” said WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus while briefing the media recently.
“And we do see concerning trends in several regions. Reported cases and deaths are increasing in the Americas, while deaths are also increasing in the Western Pacific region and in Africa.”
The WHO chief said there were no indications yet that the pandemic could be over anytime soon.
“Once again, the pandemic is not over,” emphasized Ghebreyesus.
“We continue to call on all countries to maintain testing and sequencing services, to give us a clearer picture of where the virus is spreading, and how it’s changing. And we call on all countries to vaccinate all health workers, older people, and other at-risk groups.”
