Mozambique: Vaccination no substitute for prevention – Nampula governor

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Mozambique: Vaccination no substitute for prevention – Nampula governor

7:25 CAT | 06 Aug 2021

Photo: Conselho Executivo Provincial de Nampula

The governor of the northern Mozambican province of Nampula, Manuel Rodrigues, on Wednesday launched a vigorous appeal for all eligible citizens to register for vaccination against the Covid-19 respiratory disease, but warned that nobody should imagine that vaccination is a substitute for preventive measures.

He was speaking in Nampula city, at the launch of the third phase of the vaccination campaign, in which the target groups are all people in urban areas aged 50 and above, and all teachers and other public officials not covered in the earlier phases. The health authorities expect to vaccinate 224,000 citizens in Nampula province.

Rodrigues said that the province has received so far 310.060 doses of vaccine. 272,200 of these doses are the Chinese VeroCell vaccine, 29,260 are Covishield, and 8,600 are the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Covishield is the brand name for the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in India.

The main difference is that, to become fully effective, both the VeroCell and the Covishield vaccines must be taken in two doses, whereas the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one dose.

Speaking before a crowd of dozens of people waiting to take the vaccine, Rodrigues warned that vaccination is not a substitute for preventive measures. “Vaccination is a complementary measure to prevent Covid-19, since it confers partial protection”, he said, “but preventive measures such as wearing masks, regular washing of hands, disinfection and physical distancing should be maintained”.

Vaccsnampulapr.fb_.fb_ — *Photo: Conselho Executivo Provincial de Nampula*

A representative of Nampula municipality, Domingos Amaral, asked each municipal citizen to be a messenger, carrying accurate information about the need for vaccination, in order to defeat disinformation.

“You should be the messengers of truth to vanquish the disinformation we witness in social media”, he said. The municipality pledged “to spread information about the importance of vaccination in all the city’s administrative posts and neighbourhoods”.

In the earlier phases of the vaccination campaign, 54,717 people were vaccinated in Nampula province, including 9,400 health professionals.

Source: AIM