Suburban
A total of 4 100 Covid-19 doses have been allocated to clinics in the northern suburbs out of a total of 13 000 doses allocated to health centres in the capital, according to figures provided by Members of Parliament.
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
More allocations are expected as the country took delivery of 2 million doses from China, which arrived in Harare on Thursday this week.
A schedule seen by Suburban shows that Avondale, Belvedere, Borrowdale, Eastlea, Greendale, Highlands, Mabelreign, Marlborough, Mt Pleasant clinics were allocated a total of 4 100 doses ranging from 200 to 600 doses per clinic while Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals which is in close proximity to some of suburbs such as Avondale, the Avenues and Belgravia received 1 000 doses.
Some residents confirmed the availability of vaccines at the clinics in their suburbs in residents’ social media groups where residents seeking to be vaccinated usually inquire which health centres have the vaccines.
“Anywhere where one can get the first dose please,” inquired a resident on the Greendale Residents’ Group platform.
Responded another resident: “In another group someone said there’s at Avondale Clinic.”
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 third wave, residents have been frantically trying to get vaccinated to protect themselves against the pandemic.
Until these latest allocations, the lack of vaccines had stalled the Covid-19 vaccination programme in some suburbs such as Borrowdale, Hatcliffe and Mt Pleasant.
Legislators who spoke to Suburban said they were waiting for the delivery of vaccines before they embark on campaigns to raise awareness on Covid-19 and the need for residents to be vaccinated.
Last week, Government resolved to send Ministers and Members of Parliament to their constituencies to educate people on the vaccination programmes.
Harare North legislator, Mr Allan Markham said the vaccination programme had stalled in Borrowdale and Hatcliffe, which both fall under his constituency, as a result of the unavailability of vaccines.
“Our programme had stalled due to the lack of vaccines both at Borrowdale and Hatcliffe,” he said.
Mr Markham said residents were ready for the vaccines as soon as they are available in the constituency.
Mt Pleasant Member of Parliament Mr Samuel Banda said: “The vaccination programme has really kicked on but by end of July, there will be something. Thus far we have a (Covid-19) testing team which is stationed at Bond Hall.”
Mr Banda said awareness will start as soon as they have a concrete programme.
The largest single Covid-19 vaccine order, two million doses, arrived in Harare on Thursday to ensure that the national vaccination programme can be quickly accelerated as Zimbabwe enforces a lockdown tightening to combat a third wave of increased infection.
Last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a Level 4 National Lockdown to curb the surge in Covid-19 infections and as part of the measures Ministers and Parliamentarians will be disseminating information on vaccinations in their constituencies.
On Wednesday this week, Zimbabwe saw its worst day so far in the third wave, with 2 264 new cases and 34 deaths counterbalanced by 706 recoveries. Since the first case in March last year, Zimbabwe has recorded 60 227 cases, 42 330 recoveries and 1 973 deaths.
The doses are expected to make inroads into the demand by millions of Zimbabweans who have been seeking the jab, particularly in border towns and areas that have been declared as hotspots.
Current hotspot areas include Kariba, Chidamoyo, Karoi, Chinhoyi, Guruve, Marondera, Murehwa, Chiredzi, Masvingo, Kwekwe, Harare and three areas of Bulawayo namely the Northern Suburbs, Nkulumane and Emakhandeni.
Meanwhile, two bars in Athlone in Greendale were recently found in violation of Covid-19 regulations as they were open way after 8pm for revellers who were said to be dancing to loud music inside.
According to Bishop Amos Chaniwa of the Greendale Athlone Neighbourhood Watch, the two bars were open on last Friday evening except for one bar owned by a Mrs Gutura.
“We patrolled all our patrol areas with a few people on the roads and we carried out stop and searches.
“We then came to Athlone shops at 20:35hours where two bars were open except for Mai Gutura’s.
“People were playing music at loud volume shouting joyously.
“We ordered them to close and dispersed them and warned them strongly,” he said.
Bishop Chaniwa said it was the same in Msasa where some residents were also found violating Covid-19 regulations as they were said to be playing snooker in the dead of the night.
“It was the same in Msasa where people were still playing snooker at Msasa Tenda around the very early hours of the morning and we dispersed them,” he said.
