BY SILENCE MUGADZAWETA Covid19 vaccines will be funded by the State and provided for free to the public, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said. In his State of the Nation address, Mnangagwa said the free vaccination programme will target 60% of the country’s population.
“Government has set aside the requisite financial resources for the purchase of vaccines. Government will also partner the corporate world and other players in the procurement of Covid19 vaccines and related consumables.”
“A National Vaccine Deployment Framework has been finalised. Initial objective is to inoculate at least 60 per cent of the population. First phase of inoculation will see frontline workers, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions being prioritised,” he said.
Mnangagwa said the National Vaccination Strategy will be guided by available scientific evidence and the need for safety in citizens.
“Our Overall National Response Strategy has reached a stage where we can now introduce vaccines as a second front preventive measure. Covid19 vaccines which have been scientifically ascertained to be safe will soon be introduced. These will be State funded and free,” he said.
Zimbabwe is grappling to contain the second wave of Covid19. As at 03 February 2021, 33 964 cases, 27 391 recoveries and 1 269 deaths have been recorded.
