Prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has been subjected to ridicule by some individuals on social media after he received the Sinopharm COVID-19 jab on Tuesday.
Chin’ono shared his photos getting the shot on social media, prompting his critics to mock him for allegedly receiving a vaccine he has spoken against in the past. See the screenshot below:
<img alt="May be an image of 3 people and text" decoding="async" src="https://scontent.fhre3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/161673646_2977622899126395_5419429202878131829_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&amp;ccb=1-3&amp;_nc_sid=8bfeb9&amp;_nc_ohc=fZ9S8m94XhwAX-2zBQc&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fhre3-1.fna&amp;oh=49b710b496294c6bb94e2a401391e667&amp;oe=6075D10C"/>
Posting on his Facebook page about the screenshot, Chin’ono chided his critics, saying this shows that some people are literate but not educated. He said:
<blockquote>I saw this; [screenshot]
it was done by an idiot or dum-dum or both.
It shows that many of our people are literate but not educated, they fail to understand simple things!
The left tweet is valid because I am against citizens being forced, but someone still can’t get that?
You should educate citizens, and win their hearts and minds, not issue threats as Mnangagwa did!
Government has failed to mount an educational and media program yet it set aside US$1.5 million for communications.
It will be looted like any other fund! I got vaccinated because I read about Sinopharm and spoke to my GP and Physician about it!
You can’t use threats to force citizens, that is why I said the State should respect the constitutional rights of citizens in regards to getting vaccinated!
Don’t force people, educate them and win them over, it remains my position!
So the person who made this screenshot is not only ignorant of what they I meant, but they are part of the problem using propaganda where it doesn’t fit!
My first tweet remains valid because I am against citizens being forced!
I made a choice and went on my own accord, that choice should be available to everyone!</blockquote>

Pindula News

Chin'ono Responds To Social Media Trolls After Receiving Chinese Vaccine

Vice President and Health and Child Care Minister Constantino Chiwenga was on Tuesday grilled by Members of Parliament on the efficacy and possible side-effects of the Chinese-donated Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine.
Harare East MP Tendai Biti (MDC Alliance) said it was not clear why the government was choosing Sinopharm when Sinovac is the dominant vaccine used in China.
Biti also questioned the government silence on the Covax facility, saying the budgeted US$6 million for vaccines was inadequate.
Makoni South MP Misheck Mataranyika (ZANU PF) queried why legislators were not placed on the priority list as frontline workers.
He also called for teachers to be prioritised in the vaccination rollout if schools are to reopen soon.
Kadoma Central MP Muchineripi Chinyanganya (MDC Alliance) questioned whether the vaccines were effective against the new South African variant now dominant in Zimbabwe while Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (MDC-T) questioned the logic behind using different vaccines in the country.
Chiwenga said Sinopharm and Sinovac were approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Zimbabwe will be taking both. He also said the government had already signed for the Covax facility.
On the effectiveness of the Chinese-developed vaccines against the dominant South African coronavirus variant, called N501Y, Chiwenga’s deputy, John Mangwiro said:
<blockquote>These viruses mutate on a daily or weekly basis. There is no country that will say every day they make a vaccine against each mutant.
The vaccines we are getting now — for a vaccine to be on the market, it would have been looked at for at least not less than six to eight months.
The vaccines we are getting now, the studies started last year using a particular virus that they saw at that time.
People will start making vaccines according to the variants and we will be following the virus from behind. There is no way we can say the UK has this variant, now make the vaccine. It is impossible.
You need a year. By the time you finish making it for the variant that is there now, next year you will have 100 more variants.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/02/mps-grill-chiwenga-on-chinese-vaccine/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

MPs Grill VP Chiwenga On COVID-19 Vaccines

President Emmerson Mnangagwa appeared to backtrack on his earlier decision not to accept a coronavirus vaccine donation from the United Kingdom (UK).
In his address to the nation on the new COVID-19 lockdown measures on Monday, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe would soon receive a vaccine sourced under the COVAX facility from the UK.
<a href="https://newzwire.live/russia-pledges-covid-19-vaccines-to-zimbabwe-govt-says-it-will-resist-undue-influence-over-vax-choice/">Zimbabwean government officials had earlier on accused the UK of arm-twisting Harare to accept the vaccine offer</a>.
<a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2020/12/23/uk-offers-to-vaccinate-20-of-zimbabwes-population-against-covid-19/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The UK, through its ambassador to Zimbabwe, Melanie Robinson, last year offered to vaccinate 20% of Zimbabwe’s population against the coronavirus for free but the offer was refused.</a>
But in his statement yesterday, Mnangagwa mentioned the UK among countries from which Zimbabwe will soon procure vaccinations. He said:
<blockquote>Vaccines from other countries namely Russia, India and the United Kingdom are also on the way.
That should see our pace of vaccinating willing Zimbabweans increase in tempo, thus drawing us nearer the goal of achieving herd immunity.</blockquote>
Addressing reporters during a post-cabinet media briefing last week, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe was in talks with Russia, India and China for vaccines. She said:
<blockquote>India, like China, has also offered a donation and an option to purchase commercially and modalities for this offer are still being worked out.</blockquote>
Mutsvangwa also said Zimbabwe would “take decisions independently in the national interest, without undue influence”, remarks which appeared targeted at the UK government after the country’s embassy said Zimbabwe was yet to take up Britain’s offer for vaccines.
On Monday an Air Zimbabwe jet brought 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China that was donated by the Chinese government.
However, reports indicate that the Sinopharm vaccine can only be administered to people with no underlying health conditions who are between the ages of 19 and 59.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/02/mnangagwa-further-extends-lockdown/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

Mnangagwa Reverses Stance On UK Vaccine Offer

A Bulawayo-based consultant paediatrician Dr Wedu Ndebele has urged Zimbabweans to get vaccinated as this will reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr Ndebele said that in the event that one is vaccinated, the infection would be much milder if they contract the virus. He said:
<blockquote>For us to get what we call herd immunity there should be enough people vaccinated to curtail or stop the transmission.
Usually for you to do that you need to vaccinate about two-thirds of the population and that is why we are talking of between 60 to 70 per cent of the population.
As you can see now all the cases that we are getting are from the communities, which means that transmissions are from person to person.
If enough people are vaccinated, it means that even if one person has Covid-19 and gets into contact with a vaccinated person that person won’t be infected.
We encourage people to get vaccinated especially those that are at high risk.</blockquote>
Another health expert, Dr Rita Dlodlo also spoke in support of vaccination saying it will reduce the number of COVID-19 related deaths.
She also said that in Zimbabwe millions of children’s lives have been saved under the national immunisation programmes.
On Monday Zimbabwe took delivery of 200 000 Sinopharm vaccine doses donated by the People’s Republic of China.
It has however emerged that people with chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, high blood pressure among others, and those under the age of 18 should not receive the jab.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/bulawayo-doctors-give-covid-19-vaccination-thumbs-up/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Chronicle</a></h4>

'COVID-19 Vaccine Will Save Lives' - Bulawayo Doctors

On Monday Zimbabwe received 200 000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine developed by State-owned China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a subsidiary of the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).
The vaccine was donated by the Chinese Government, with Zimbabwe purchasing 600 000 doses from Sinopharm which are expected in the country next month.
However, a pamphlet accompanying the SinoPharm vaccine indicates that the medicine should not be administered to people with chronic conditions. The pamphlet reads:
<blockquote>Who cannot take the vaccine? Children or young people under the age of 18 years, women who are presently pregnant or breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy within the next six weeks.
Anyone with allergies to Covid-19 vaccines or other vaccines in the past, anyone who gets allergy from the first dose should not take it again.
Any history of serious allergy (anaphylaxis) requiring emergency care, people with conditions that suppress the immune system, e.g HIV-AIDS, on steroid medication or receiving chemotherapy.
People with uncontrolled epilepsy or other neurologic conditions, people with uncontrolled chronic conditions, e.g uncontrolled diabetes or hypertension, uncontrolled heart failure, late-stage kidney disease and uncontrolled asthma.</blockquote>
The Sinopharm vaccine has an efficacy (effectiveness) rate of 79.34% above the 50% recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/hiv-asthma-bp-patients-cannot-take-chinese-vaccine/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewZimbabwe.com</a></h4>

Chinese Corona Vaccine Not For People With Chronic Conditions

Vice President Chiwenga while receiving 200 000 vaccines today at the RGMugabe airport said the delivery of the vaccines brings hope of life returning to normal in Zimbabwe. Open Parly reports.
Speaking at the airport the VP who doubles as the Health Minister said:
<blockquote>This is a timely donation your Excellency (Chinese Ambassador) given the recent ravages and tragedies that visited our nation through COVID-19 pandemic. You have been here, you have seen how our people have suffered from this pandemic.
We receive this vaccine as a gleam of hope to the nation, that finally, we may be on the verge of returning to some semblance of normalcy that is what we are aiming to achieve.
The vaccine also offers the possibility that our people who have borne the brunt of the economic ravages of the pandemic might finally turn a new page following the unfortunate interruptions to economic activities that have been necessitated by the need to contain the spread of the virus.
You are all aware that we had to implement the lockdown so that the virus does not spread. If it (the virus) doesn’t spread then we spare the lives of our people.</blockquote>
Life almost returned to normal in December before cases surged just after the festive season prompting the government to impose a lockdown to curb spreading the virus.
600 000 doses are expected to come from China in the first week of March.
Source: <a href="https://openparly.com/index.php/2021/02/15/hope-has-arrived-says-chiwenga/">Open Parly</a>

Chiwenga Says Hope Has Arrived

Zimbabwe’s health workers are not prepared to administer the coronavirus vaccine despite the country receiving its first batch this Monday, a consignment of 200 000 doses of the Sinopharm inoculation donated by China.
The president of the Zimbabwe Nurses Association (ZINA), Enock Dongo said that nurses were never consulted nor informed about the vaccines and are yet to receive training on how to administer the jab. Said Dongo:
<blockquote>We as frontline workers and nurses particularly are ill-prepared. We have not received training to be able to also pass on the information to our clients.
There is a need for the government to ensure that the district centres are well capacitated to store the vaccines.
We tried to get the government to decongest hospitals for our safety, and also to provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) but it did not work.
So our hopes were pinned on the vaccine, but we do not know what it is.</blockquote>
Meanwhile, health officials on Sunday said when the vaccine arrives in the country, it would be subjected to a 48-hour verification by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) before distribution.
The government said it has also purchased another 600 000 doses of the Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine and the consignment will be delivered in early March.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/02/covid-19-vaccine-bombshell/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

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