The Tanzanian government has said it has no interest in accessing Covid-19 vaccines, consolidating its outlier status in the global fight against the pandemic, while most other African countries have rushed to fire.
Tanzanian President John Magufuli rejected the blockades and other measures of social distancing and instead called on 60 million citizens of the country to pray in churches and mosques against a “satanic” virus. In May, when it confirmed 509 Covid-19 infections and 21 deaths, the government stopped reporting cases to the World Health Organization after Mr Magufuli insisted that Tanzania had conquered the pandemic and that the test kits with positive results were defects.
This week, Tanzania’s Minister for Health, Dorothy Gwajima, said the country has no plans to import Covid-19 vaccines, including free doses it could get from the global Covax initiative, which aims to provide poor and poor countries. with average income.
“We are not yet satisfied that these vaccines have proven clinically safe,” Dr. Gwajima told a news conference, accompanied by unmasked government health officials.
The only other African countries that have opted to give up free Covax vaccines are Burundi, Eritrea and the island state of Madagascar, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is managing the initiative with WHO. Other early Covid-19 deniers, such as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko – who last spring called the coronavirus a “psychosis” that could be combated with vodka, saunas and driving tractors – have since accepted vaccines.
During his lecture, Dr. Gwajima, a doctor with a master’s degree in public health, displayed several trays of local herbs that he said could be used to make anti-coronavirus remedies. She urged Tanzanians to use steam, along with hand sanitizers and hand washing, to prevent the disease.
BE INFORMED
Get a briefing on coronavirus six days a week and a weekly health newsletter with crisis reduction: Sign up here.
“It’s better to continue to use traditional remedies that have been with us for generations,” she said. “We urge neighboring countries to learn from the way we have managed Covid-19. We should be a good role model for them. ”
Tanzania’s neighbors are telling another story. Ugandan and Zambian officials say they see a large number of Tanzanian travelers giving positive evidence as they try to cross the border. Rwanda refuses entry of trucks from Tanzania. Countries as far away as Denmark say they have detected the most contagious coronavirus strain that first appeared in South Africa in samples tested from people arriving from Tanzania.
In Tanzania, a recent increase in Covid-19 symptoms and deaths has alarmed the Catholic Church, which includes Mr. Magufuli. In a letter dated January 26, Bishop Gervas Nyaisonga, head of the Episcopal Conference in Tanzania, urged fellow bishops to provide guidance to congregations in combating the disease.
“We should start taking immediate action at the first symptoms and avoid crowded places,” he said. Other church leaders say they were overwhelmed by the rise of requiem masses to pray for the dead.
At a rally last week, Mr Magufui told supporters not to accept being used as a “guinea pig” for Western vaccine manufacturers. Without providing evidence, he claimed that some Tanzanians returned with new coronavirus spots after traveling abroad to be vaccinated.
“These vaccines do not work; they are not good “, said Mr. Magufuli, who won a second term in last year’s elections. “Tanzanians should pay attention to these imported things.”
Mr Magufuli’s remarks were countered hours later by the WHO, which called on Tanzania to prepare for a vaccination campaign, encourage the wearing of masks and share data on coronavirus infections.
Opposition politicians have also called on the government to join other African nations in trying to secure vaccines for their citizens.
“What we need as a country are coronavirus vaccines, not reckless talk,” said Zitto Kabwe, the leader of the Alliance for Change and Transparency’s opposition party. “This kind of discussion has already led to mass deaths.”
Write to Nicholas Bariyo at [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8