Tanzania set to launch vaccination drive on Wednesday
Tanzania is set to launch Covid-19 vaccination drive tomorrow at the State House in Dar es Salaam as the country gears to vaccinate its priority population with the one million doses of the Janssen vaccine.
In a statement, Health minister Dr. Dorothy Gwajima said President Samia Suluhu Hassan will be the first to be vaccinated in mainland Tanzania after the launch of the vaccination campaign.
“The Ministry calls on all other leaders to follow this example and show the way for all citizens to access this Covid-19 vaccine voluntarily and free of charge,” she said.
“The Health Ministry will communicate on procedures for the distribution of the vaccine and provide immunisation procedures in health facilities.”
According to Gwajima, Tanzania received 1,058,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson manufactured vaccine from the United States on Saturday through the Covax initiative.
She 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.
