Rwanda on Wednesday received the fight consignment of Covid-19 vaccines under the Covax framework and the health ministry announced the immunization campaign will be launched on Friday, starting with high risk groups. The vaccines which were received in two consignments totaled just over 300,000 doses with more expected next week. At least a million doses are expected before the end of the month. The immunization, according to the ministry, will be carried out at District Hospitals and other designated facilities, and preparations had already been completed. Healthcare professionals have been trained on how to where healthcare professionals were trained on how to administer the jabs and storage facilities are fully in place. This is good news by all means and calls for celebration. Many would say, the end is near for the virus that has ravaged the world for the past one year. Many are looking forward to the day things will go back to normal, after all the restrictions that came with the containment measures against the deadly virus. However; not so fast. The journey is still long from when we shall celebrate victory over Covid-19. The vaccines received so far and those to come in a few days to come are still few. We remain exposed. We can only claim safety when we are all safe. According to the Ministry of Health, the doses that were received in the country are enough to inoculate 171,480 people who have been identified as high risk in different categories from across the country. Government plans to inoculate at least 30 per cent of the population by the end of 2021, and by the end of next year, the target is to have vaccinated at least 60 per cent of the population. This then means that we still have a long way to go and the most effective vaccine at the moment is adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures to curtail the spread of the virus to ensure we do not undo the efforts that are being put in by the government to keep all of us safe. Finally, as we embark on the vaccination drive, it is important to call out conspiracy theorists – who are rather few but are already spreading all sorts of propaganda in communities against the vaccine – using unfounded and ridiculous theories, some bent on religious fundamentalism. Such should not be entertained.
