SUMBAWANGA District of the Rukwa region has started a door-to-door vaccination campaign against Covid-19 to achieve 70 per cent herd immunity against the pandemic by December.
The Health Ministry has also engaged community-based health volunteers in the exercise being carried out in concert with mass citizen sensitisation on the benefits of vaccination.
Mr Shaban Athuman, the vaccine coordinator for the Sumbawanga District, said the 14-day campaign launched on September 11 will focus on the Sumbawanga District council and city council, respectively.
Mr Athuman said during the campaign they will raise awareness of the importance of the vaccine and preventive measures against Covid-19.
Speaking during a meeting of the Primary Healthcare Committee (PHC) conducted here to assess the administration of Covid-19 immunisations in the district; he said the campaign would be conducted from house to house, in all public health centres, churches, bus terminals, schools and markets.
“The vaccination campaign comes amid low Covid -19 vaccine uptake among the people due to misleading information about the vaccine safety,” he noted
The latest available statistics show that the Rukwa Region provided Covid – 19 vaccines to 24 per cent of the targeted residents since it was officially launched in August last year.
“We are employing various strategies to provide education to the public and create awareness on Covid-19 vaccine. As we proceed is our expectation that we are going to deliver,” he said.
Sebastian Waryuba, the District Commissioner for Sumbawanga, stated that in the fight against the pandemic, they aim to address myths and misconceptions that have been circulated across the neighbourhood by individuals with bad intentions.
“To put the campaign into action, we are collaborating with other stakeholders. To effectively contain the pandemic, I urge Sumbawanga residents to take the vaccination,” said Mr Waryuba.
The DC added that the global pandemic is still prevalent and highlighted how crucial it is for the residents of the area to keep adopting Covid-19 precautions.
Mr Waryuba called on health professionals, religious leaders, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to keep spreading the word about the importance of vaccination.
He also urged the populace to be vigilant against other diseases that are still killing people in the nation, such as TB, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.