A few days after Tanzania's COVID-19 vaccination roll-out campaign kicked off, some 105,745 people have received the jab and 164,500 booked for their turn this week. In the course, the Government has warned against fake COVID-19 vaccine certificates, noting that stern measure will be taken against anyone found fraudulently issuing the document to unsuspecting people.
On July 28, this year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan led Tanzanians in taking the shot, before it was dispatched to more than 550 centres in all 26 regions, paving way for the national exercise to follow. Presenting the status of the COVID-19 vaccination drive in Dodoma yesterday, the Permanent Secretary (PS) in Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Prof. Abel Makubi, said based on the countrywide assessment, a big turnout was recorded at the inoculation Centres.
"By August 7 some 105,745 people had been vaccinated in the priority groups and 164,500 others have booked for their turn this week," said Prof. Makubi. Elaborating, he noted that the Government was finalising a process of going for electronic COVID-19 vaccine certificate instead of issuing paper document.
Prof. Makubi said the electronic certificate will reflect inparticipaternational standards and carry confidential particulars of the individual, who has received the jab. He said in it, it will indicate the type of vaccine received, place and time the person took the COVID-19 vaccine, adding: "The special electronic card will be issued only a person, who has been vaccinated as well as those, who initially obtained hardcopy certificate. In this respect, the Government is cautioning whoever will try to acquire the COVID-19 vaccines certificate fraudulently, that the system will still identify him/ her and serious action will be taken. People ought to know that the Government is keeping track of all the serial numbers assigned on the cards, whenever they sense deception, investigations will be lodged against the services provider."
Equally, he urged health care workers manning the COVID-19 vaccination exercise to be professional and discharge their duties as expected, saying: "The Government does not expect any dishonest work here. You must attend to all people, who are eligible as per the requirements and don't deny any citizen the right unless there is a genuine reason. The Ministry encourages the priority groups to continue taking the vaccines, on this regard; the vaccination centres will remain open regardless of the weekends."
In a related development, Prof. Makubi hinted that the Ministry was keenly following developments of people, who had taken the shot, especially through the heads of the respective service delivery centres, council and regional medical officers. On the note, he urged the public not to hesitate to communicate to the medical experts any side-effect or reaction coming after the vaccination.
By the end of last month, Tanzania had received the first batch of 1,058, 400 Johnson COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States government through the COVAX arrangement, as the country plans to inoculate around 34 million of the population. The population represents 60 percent of Tanzanians who will be vaccinated on voluntary basis, while priority will be given to frontline health care workers, people with chronic diseases as well as adults 50 years and above.
As of August 4, a total of 1,008,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines had been distributed at all 550 centres across the country. Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) assured the public that the COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out in the country is safe, calling on Tanzanians to continue taking the jab(s) in efforts to fight further spread of the global pandemic.
Commenting, the United States Ambassador to Tanzania, Donald Wright noted that vaccines are an important part of the public health tool kit because they are safe and they work. "That's as true for the older vaccines as well as for the new coronavirus vaccines. The science is not in doubt. In the US right now, more than 99 percent of new deaths from COVID-19 are among people who have not been vaccinated," said Ambassador Wright.