Tanzania has no good reason to reject vaccines

Tanzanian authorities have shocked the world by the casual manner in which they have treated Covid-19 pandemic.

When the first cases of coronavirus were reported in East Africa in March last year, President John Magufuli doubted the efficacy of Covid-19 tests so much that he ordered surreptitious testing of samples from sheep, pawpaw and even engine oil.

These samples, he announced, had tested positive for coronavirus (Sars-cov-2). Testing for the virus was halted thereafter after only 509 people had tested positive. At some point, the Tanzanian leader even announced that God had eliminated Covid-19 from his country.

Today, the world doesn’t know how many people have been infected or died from Covid-19 in the country.

With the development of Covid-19 vaccines, one would have expected Magufuli and his administration to change their stance and, like Kenya, join the rush for these drugs.

However, the country’s Health ministry says it has no plans to receive vaccines. Magufuli has also doubted their efficacy.

It would be wrong for the government to continue endangering the lives of the nearly 60 million Tanzanians by downplaying the threat of Covid-19 and, now, dismissing the life-saving vaccines.

If it won’t change, Tanzania risks isolating itself from the rest of the world as travel and global interactions might soon be determined by Covid-19 immunity “passports”.

Without testing and vaccines Tanzania could find itself lonely as the rest of the world gets back to normal life. Magufuli should rethink his handling of this pandemic.