Africa-Press – Tanzania. AS time ticks rapidly towards the end of 2021, the year will be remembered for milestone achievement in Tanzania’s unprecedented fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tanzania joined the globe vaccination campaigns, with a total of 4,421,540 doses imported into the East African nation, massively boosting the country’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
Tanzania has so far received 1,342,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 499,590 doses of Pfizer-Biontech vaccine from the United States and 2,578,400 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr Aifelo Sichwale, made the revelations in an interview with the ‘Daily News’ yesterday, pointing out that Tanzania expects to receive more doses of Pfizer-Biontech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines before the end of this month.
Such is part of the government’s broader agenda to ensure the safety of its people against the Covid-19 pandemic by makings sure the vaccines are available for all Tanzanians, who are willing to be vaccinated.
About 1,275,795 people, equivalent to 2.2 per cent, received the Covid-19 jabs by Sunday as the country plans to vaccinate at least 60 per cent of its 60 million population.
The milestone has been recorded after a thorough consultative process which was initiated by President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s special team of experts.
The Head of State formed the team shortly after assuming power and was tasked to professionally evaluate the Covid-19 pandemic and come up with recommendations on the matter. The team’s recommendations guided the country’s response to the novel virus, which has so far killed over 5 million people across the world. Leading the nation during the official rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines, President Samia assured Tanzanians that the vaccine was safe, maintaining that a big number of people had expressed interest to receive it.
She noted that the government would make sure the vaccine is available for all Tanzanians, insisting that the country must adopt best global practices.
“Tanzania is not an island, hence, there is no way we can distance ourselves from the rest of the world, we still need interaction and our people have to keep on traveling,” she noted, insisting that the exercise was voluntary, but the government would continue providing public awareness and education on its importance.
Adding, the President said: “The vaccines is safe, that is why I have decided to take this shot, as you know, I’m a mother of four children, a grandmother, wife and above all, the President and Commander-In- Chief of the armed forces, there is no way I can put my life at risk of being inoculated if the vaccine weren’t safe.”
President Samia recalled Tanzania had adopted a number of measures to fight the pandemic, including formation of a special team of experts to study the situation locally and globally and proposed remedies.
“Tanzania has also joined the Covax facility for the sake of benefiting from the available opportunities that include accessibility of the vaccines,” she said The government has so far approved five vaccines to be used in the country, which have also been endorsed by WHO including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Under the Covax arrangement, Tanzania, like other countries, has been receiving vaccines which will cover 20 per cent of its total population. Receiving the 499,590 doses of Pfizer-Biotech vaccine last month, the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Dr Dorothy Gwajima maintained that the vaccines are safe and have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Right now, Tanzanians have multiple options on what kind of vaccine they want to take, they are not limited to one vaccine,” she said, commending the US for its continued support for Tanzania.
The minister went on to urge Tanzanians who are not yet vaccinated, to consider taking the jab since the vaccines are safe and have been approved by the world class top laboratories of the WHO.
However, she stressed on the need for the public to adhere to all preventive measures, including wearing masks, washing hands with running water and soap routinely and using hand sanitizers.
Other measures outlined include avoid congestion and, where necessary, consider social distancing by at least one metre from one person to another and regular physical exercises coupled with measuring temperature. In a move to further mount efforts to increase the rate of vaccination in the country, the government will tomorrow launch the second integrated and fast plan for combating Covid-19.
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