Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu has received a Covid-19 jab today at State House as the country begins a mass vaccination campaign.
This is after Tanzania received 1,058,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson manufactured vaccine from the United States on Saturday through the Covax initiative.
In her speech before receiving the vaccine, the president reminded Tanzanians that the Janssen jab is a one-shot dose urging Tanzanians to follow health guidelines as the country battles a third wave of the disease.
“We are in the third phase of the pandemic. We should take all precautions,” she said.
Additionally, she said that the government has put in place measures to ensure that the Tanzanians who are willing to be vaccinated get the jab.
Health minister Dr. Dorothy Gwajima had urged Tanzanians to take advantage of this important opportunity since vaccination is one of the most important and reliable interventions in the world in the fight against infectious diseases, including Covid -19.
The government expects to receive more vaccines soon from other countries so it can vaccinate more Tanzanians.
The minister further urged residents to continue adhering to Covid-19 prevention guidelines such frequent hand washing with clean water and soap, wearing masks, exercise and good nutrition, and the use of natural remedies registered by the Alternative Medicine Council.
By last week Friday, Tanzania recorded 176 new cases of Covid-19 infections, bringing the total to 858.
It also recorded 29 deaths as of July 21.
For more than a year, Tanzania had not released data on Covid-19 infections in the country until June 28 when Samia announced that there were 100 new cases in the country and 70 in critical condition.
On Thursday last week, Gwajima announced a ban on “unnecessary gatherings” nationwide, as the country recorded 682 Covid-19 patients.
