Harare (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has taken a third Covid-19 vaccine booster shot in keeping with medical recommendation, presidential spokesperson George Charamba said on Tuesday.
Zimbabwe, in line with local medical recommendations and global trends, started offering booster jabs last month as it looks to scale up its widely commended Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
According to guidelines for the third booster shot availed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, people are eligible to receive booster shots six months after receiving their second doses.
Eligible people will receive the same vaccine type used for the first and second doses.
The booster jab is expected to offer an additional layer of protection against the Omicron variant which has been noted to spread faster.
“With His Excellency the President Dr E.D Mnangagwa and his deputy Dr Chiwenga having received booster jabs against Covid-19 some two weeks ago, the whole of the Office of the President and Cabinet staff is set to get jabbed this morning (Tuesday),” Charamba tweeted.
Zanu PF second secretary Kembo Mohadi has also received his third jab, he said.
Already, 6 508 people have received their third vaccine dose, according to Ministry of Health and Child Care statistics as of January 3.
While front-line medical staff, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses have been given priority for the booster shots, President Mnangagwa said in his New Year message that the country had adequate stocks to roll out a booster programme.
In Monday’s Covid-19 statistical report, the Ministry said Zimbabwe had so far vaccinated 4 136 295 people with the first dose while 3 147 659 had gone on to the second dose.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020, Zimbabwe’s cumulative cases now stand at 216 087, with 5 047 deaths and 185 594 recoveries.
New Ziana