- 1st doses approaching 1 million
- Growth in 2nd dose uptake
- 40 days away from mid-2021 mark
As of 9 May 2021, Zimbabwe had fully vaccinated 158,177 people and had 236 calendar days left in its targeted herd immunity timeline. The implication at the time was that 41,703 people needed to be vaccinated daily to achieve the reported year-end goal.
As of 23 May 2021, the implied required “jab rate” to achieve herd immunity was up 5% at 43,790 vaccinations per day over the next 222 days of 2021.
On the one hand, comprehensive health awareness campaigns (led by the Ministry of Health) are an important measure towards demystifying vaccine issues and tempering misinformation. Targeting the different age groups eligible for vaccination could also play an important step in efforts to improve 1st and 2nd dose uptakes.
Both government and the private sector could also look to countries like Antigua, Australia and the USA as guidelines for vaccine incentive strategies for citizens in national Covid-19 vaccination drives. Citizens in these and other countries are being offered cash, coupons and employment benefits such as time-off in return for their vaccination. Looked at objectively, the more people vaccinated, the lower the chances of a return to national lockdowns and all the disruptions that comes with.