CWGH welcomes introduction of electronic Covid-19 register

Harare (New Ziana)-The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has welcomed plans by the government to introduce an electronic Covid-19 immunisation register to follow up on citizens who have not received the required vaccination doses.

CWGH director Itai Rusike told New Ziana that the electronic register would also address issues of vaccination certificates after it emerged that some unscrupulous health personnel were selling them to people who had not been vaccinated.

“It will eliminate challenges of some people claiming to be vaccinated yet they just bought,” he said.

The government on Tuesday announced plans to introduce an electronic register to identify and follow up on people who did not receive the required three COVID-19 immunisation doses.

“It will assist in terms of capturing the correct data in terms of the numbers of people who have been vaccinated. I hope the government is going to make efforts to decentralize the system,” said Rusike.

Acting Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere told a weekly post Cabinet briefing that the government wanted to keep the Covid-19 pandemic under control during the festive season when many people travel either to see their relatives or tourist attractions.

“In light of the upcoming festive season, Cabinet resolved on the following strategies in order to ensure that the pandemic is kept under check: strengthening enforcement and adherence to WHO COVID-19 protocols; strengthening genomic sequencing to quickly identify any imported new variants; and introducing an electronic vaccination register to enable easy identification and follow up of those yet to receive second and third doses, ” he said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, as of 27 November 2022, a total of 6 569 603 people had received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine while 4 937 735 people had got their second dose, and 1 239 453 their third dose.

People who have been vaccinated are given COVID-19 vaccination certificates or cards which contain information such as personal details, health facility, vaccination dates and the type of vaccine.

The government in August this year lifted the mandatory requirement to wear face masks in public for people who have received three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Wearing of masks is still required indoors, in public transport and at gatherings such as concerts although many Zimbabweans have stopped observing the preventive protocols following the relaxation of the mask mandate.

When it lifted the mandatory wearing of masks for the fully vaccinated, the government directed the public to move around with their vaccination certificates to prove that they had received the required three jabs.

However, the failure by the police to stop people and demand the production of the certificates resulted in most citizens completely abandoning the wearing of the face masks including in public transport, putting their lives and those around them at the risk of contracting the infection.

While the police have maintained that it would enforce the mandatory wearing of masks for those that have not been filly vaccinated, it has also urged citizens not to observe the preventive protocols to avoid being arrested, but for their own safety.

New Ziana