Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE government said yesterday that COVID -19 vaccination rollout is progressing well as the latest statistics indicated that more than 300,000 Tanzanians have been vaccinated since the exercise commenced on July 28 this year.
Chief Government Spokesperson, Mr Gerson Msigwa spoke of the encouraging news yesterday as he presented a month -end report to reporters in Dodoma.
He said that the government continues to stress on the need for the citizens to continue talking all the necessary preventive measures against COVID -19 and continue to turn up for vaccination at the designated health facilities across the country.
“So far more than 300,000 people have been vaccinated and the exercise is proceeding well,” Mr Msigwa said.
He said that there were some challenges at the border points but the government has resolved them and the people were undergoing COVID 19 rapid test at the country’s border areas free of charge…“this is being done to facilitate trade and other activities with other countries.”
Mr Msigwa said that the government has also worked on complaints relating to the cost for Covid test for passengers traveling outside the country especially at the airports.
The government has reduced the cost for rapid test from US dollars 25 to 10 and that of PCR from US dollars 100 to 50.
On July 28 this year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched a nationwide vaccination drive by receiving the Johnson & Johnson jab.
She expressed confidence in the safety of vaccines and called on Tanzanians to turn out in large numbers to receive the vaccines, stressing that the government will make sure that the country has enough vaccines for those who are willing to undergo vaccination.
The East African nation is currently rolling out Johnson &Johnson vaccine donated by the United States through the COVAX arrangement.
According to the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima , the government has so far approved five vaccines to be used in the country which are Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
The ministry emphasizes on the need for Tanzanians to continue taking measures to curb further spread of Covid-19 pandemic even after taking the vaccines including frequent hand washing, social distancing, masking, sanitising and avoiding unnecessary gatherings.
