Harare, (New Ziana) – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday said he will be vaccinated against Covid-19, and encouraged Zimbabweans to volunteer for inoculation when vaccines are eventually rolled out to the public.
Zimbabwe rolled out its Covid-19 vaccination programme on Thursday after receiving 200 000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, with Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga being the first in the country to take the jab.
President Mnangagwa said vaccination was one sure way of ensuring that life in the country would eventually return to normal.
“All of us, including myself as the President, cabinet ministers and all officials will get vaccinated, so should you my dear Zimbabweans if we are to protect ourselves, our families and our nation towards returning to normalcy,” the Head of State said at the burial of national hero, Moses Griffiths Mpofu at the National Heroes Acre.
“We need to be vaccinated. Children must go back to school and businesses must open. More doses of vaccines will be delivered until we vaccinate all those who volunteer to participate in the vaccination programme which is fully funded by government.”
Mpofu, a former police deputy commissioner, died on February 12 at the age of 66.
President Mnangagwa said the country, which has set aside US$100 million to procure more Covid-19 vaccines, was set to receive more dosses from India, Russia, the United Kingdom among others.
“We applaud this gesture and show of great humanity given the high demand for vaccines n the world,” he said.
President Mnangagwa said Zimbabweans must “not let our guard down and instead heighten our vigilance so that we win the fight against the pandemic” even as vaccination has commenced.
Government has given top priority to frontline workers to be the first to be inoculated, with other categories set to get the jabs when the country has taken delivery of more doses.
Zimbabwe has to date recorded 1 430 deaths and 35 710 since the first coronavirus infection case was recorded in March 2020.
New Ziana
