Are Tanzanians still hesitant to take covid-19 vaccines?

 By Osoro Nyawangah, DAR ES SALAAM Tanzania

Tanzania citizens seem to be hesitant to take the COVID-19 jab provided free by the government as the records show 20.6% of the vaccines have been administered in three weeks.

President Samia has assured Tanzanians that the Covid-19 vaccines are safe

With over 61 million people, Tanzania plans to vaccinate 60 percent of its population after it received over one million doses of the Janssen coronavirus vaccine from the United States donated through the Covax initiative, which is co-led by Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO) and CEPI.

According to a statement issued and signed by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Professor Abel Makubi on the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine, only 207,391 people have been vaccinated in three weeks’ time.

The figures show that 121, 002 who have been vaccinated are men and 86,389 are women; these numbers means that there are more than 800,000 jabs still available.

The one million doses of the Janssen coronavirus vaccine are intended for the aged persons, people with chronic diseases, the health personnel and the army.

A self-proclaimed Bishop
and Member of Parliament,
Josephat Gwajima

Makubi said that as of August 14, a total of 1,008,400 vaccines had been distributed in all 26 regions.

“I give instructions to all healthcare workers who provide vaccines, to spend a few minutes educating people on the importance of vaccination to each person who goes to a hospital to be treated on other diseases, this will help them on making right decisions of getting the jabs,” he said.

Tanzania President, Samia Hassan, launched the country's Covid-19 vaccination campaign early this month after receiving just over a million Johnson & Johnson shots donated by the United States through the COVAX scheme.

She was the first to receive the vaccine on live television followed by high-ranking government officials and reassured the country that the shots are safe.

The live broadcast of their vaccinations was in part to allay fears stemming from widespread disinformation about vaccines on social media and from religious and political leaders.

Public attitudes to Covid-19 precautions still appear quite relaxed, with most people walking about without masks, and public opinion remains divided over the safety of vaccination.

President Hassan's predecessor the late John Magufuli was widely criticized as a Covid-19 denier who endangered people's lives.

Professor Abel Makubi

Before he died in mid-March, the former leader repeatedly dismissed the seriousness of Covid-19 in his country and urged his citizens to "pray coronavirus away."

Tanzania under the Magufuli regime made no bids for coronavirus vaccines, despite qualifying for the COVAX scheme. The government instead promoted nonpharmaceutical approaches such as herbal treatments and steam inhalation to combat the viral disease.

Vaccines are still optional in the country, even for essential and frontline workers. But the president has assured the population of nearly 60 million that anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.

The country expects more doses from the African Union.

As of today, 102.4 million doses have been received in 52 countries in Africa with COVAX supplying 37,505,660 doses to 46 countries in the continent according to WHO; 1,700,100 have been received in 18 countries from AVATT and 63,158,258 being received bilaterally in 41 countries in Africa.

Morocco is the leading country in the continent in vaccine administration; it received 25,615,511 doses and administered 98%, South Africa received 9,174,000 doses and administered 8,811,608 doses.

Kenya has received 2,323,100 and administered 88%, Uganda received 1,139,200 doses and administered 99%, Rwanda administered 97% of 879,530 received doses while Burundi and Eritrea figures are not displayed on the WHO database.