In a bid to accelerate the vaccination program and achieve herd immunity by the end of 2021 Cabinet has approved a request by the Health Services Board seeking to recruit retired nurses to participate in the vaccination program.
The payment model of allowances for the vaccinators has been reviewed to be based on the number of persons vaccinated.
The government has also extended the vaccination program to private hospitals and private clinics to complement Government efforts. The vaccines will remain free.
The institution may claim for the injection costs based on medical aid tariffs, Cabinet said on Tuesday.
The Security Sector has also been roped in to assist in the vaccine rollout.
As of August 2, 2021, a total of 1 674 710 people had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 798 880 their second dose across the country.
Vaccination in border town hotspots and people’s markets is ongoing, with the highest coverages of the first dose being recorded in Mutare City, Victoria Falls City, Kariba, and Chiredzi. The highest coverage for the 2nd dose was recorded in Victoria Falls and Nyamapanda.
A genomic sequencing for COVID-19 samples collected in Harare revealed that 98% of the samples were of the Delta variant, Cabinet said.
“The citizenry is informed that the national genomic sequencing survey is in progress and the results will be announced to the public,” said Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa.
“The nation is informed that the Ministry of Health and Child Care is expecting 2 500 000 doses of vaccine through direct purchase in August 2021, while a further 3 500 000 doses will be received during the month of September 2021 under the COVAX facility,” she added.
The health ministry set a target of inoculating 10 million of the country’s 15 million people.
