Zimbabwe marks millionth Covid-19 jab

Statistics published by state-owned newspaper The Herald show that a total of 1,002,465 Covid-19 jabs have been administered.

PRETORIA, May 31 (ANA) – Zimbabwe is celebrating a milestone after the millionth Covid-19 jab was administered this past weekend as the country steadily strives for herd immunity.

State-owned newspaper The Herald reported on Monday that an unknown Zimbabwean received the symbolic millionth jab on Saturday.

Statistics published by the newspaper, citing the Ministry of Health and Child Care, showed that a total of 1,002,465 citizens have been vaccinated.

“With the need to commit another 331,107 doses for second doses for those who have received their first jab but not the second, this means Zimbabwe has used or committed 1,333,572 doses from the initial deliveries of 1,635,000 doses for the general population plus another 100,000 doses given recently by the Chinese military for the Zimbabwean Defence Forces.”

According to The Herald, there are 401,428 doses still in stock for newcomers, enough for both doses for more than 200,000 people, plus another 331,107 reserved for second doses, for a total of 732,535 doses in the cold rooms and fridges of the medical teams.

The cabinet in Zimbabwe reported last week that another order of 500,000 doses from China would shortly arrive in the small southern African country.

Meanwhile, on Monday, South Africa moved to a stricter level 2 of the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the pandemic amid rising infections and deaths.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that over the past seven days, South Africa had recorded an average of 3,745 daily new infections.

Further restrictions were necessary to ensure that health facilities were not overwhelmed and that lives that could be saved were not lost,

Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the provinces of Free State, Northern Cape, North West and Gauteng had reached the threshold of a third wave of infections.

“It is only a matter of time that the entire country reaches a third wave,” he said.

Ramaphosa said the recent surge was due to social gatherings, where people were not observing health protocols, such as wearing masks, social distancing and limiting the number of people attending gatherings.

He announced that a curfew will be imposed from 11pm to 4am.

Restaurants and bars will close at 10pm.

Gatherings will be limited to 100 people indoors and 250 outdoors.

Funerals are restricted to 100 people and night vigils and “after tears” gatherings are forbidden.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher