COVID-19: Let’s all get vaccinated now!

LAST Friday’s COVID-19 report by the Health ministry revealed shocking evidence about the dangers of avoiding life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Over 90% of COVID-19-induced hospital admissions have not been vaccinated, it has emerged.

In contrast, only 3,4% of COVID-19 patients being admitted to hospitals have received their first doses, while only 4,8% have been jabbed twice.

This difference is too big, and requires people to take action about their health before things fall apart.

Results of last week’s survey confirmed, based on empirical data, that one of the best ways for people to safeguard themselves against COVID-19 is to be vaccinated.

There should be no reason whatsoever for Zimbabweans to avoid vaccination unless they fall into the category of those classified as being at risk by health experts.

The other methods are keeping healthy social distances between each other and properly wearing face masks.

While the surge in interest in vaccination has been encouraging, it is worrying to note that there still exist significant pockets of the population that continue to think otherwise.

There have been no recorded cases of mass illnesses after people got vaccinated.

If any, such cases may not be high enough to warrant the vaccination apathy that we are witnessing in other parts of the country.

Unfortunately, apathy works against Zimbabwe’s efforts to achieve the 10 million inoculations required to reach 60% herd immunity.

Despite all its blunders and shortcomings, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime has imported vaccines for free distribution to Zimbabweans.

This makes the apathy difficult to understand. Although the doses are not enough, health facilities have been given stocks to champion the vaccination programme, Zimbabweans must take this opportunity to get immunised and save themselves and their families.

It has been proven across the whole world that vaccination reduces mortality rates.

In countries like Netherlands, infections have been rising at a frightening pace, but the mortality rate has been limited because people heeded the call for inoculation.

While even the loss of a few people may be a huge blow to humanity, deaths have been limited.

It is important for Zimbabweans, including those that have been dissuaded by religion, to reconsider their position and troop to vaccination centres as a matter of urgency.

Achieving government’s targeted 60% herd immunity is possible, but this can only be accelerated if people heed the vaccination call.

The time to do so is now.