Tanzania President Samia Suluhu receives Covid-19 report

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan (pictured) on Monday received the Corona Virus Assessment Report in the country.

The report was presented by the committee chairperson Prof Said Aboud in State House, Dar es Salaam.

President Suluhu set up the committee to help the country fright the virus on Tuesday, April 6, in the island state of Zanzibar. She was addressing the nation following the swearing-in of newly appointed government officials.

This move was seen as a shift from the hard-line stand that had been taken by her predecessor the late Dr John Pombe Magufuli.

During his tenure, Magufuli declared the country had beaten the virus and went ahead to advise Tanzanians to turn to alternative means to treat the virus. He urged the citizens not to take the vaccines that had been developed saying “Vaccines should not be used. If white people had the ability to produce vaccines, they would already [have manufactured] the HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and cancer vaccines.”

He stopped any communication from the government regarding the virus. The country’s last communication about the Covid-19 numbers in the country was on May 2020, when it recorded 509 cases and 21 deaths. Reports of people dying of breathing complications continued to come out of the country but the president insisted his house was in order.

Following the change of guard and a new report in place, Tanzania looks set on a journey of acknowledgement and an all-out war against the virus.

In the report the task force recommended:

• The government was urged to given Covid-19 updates.

• The government to give information about the virus and put in place measures to prevent a third wave from hitting the country.

• The government was urged to put in place emergency plans and disaster response.

• Health workers were urged to use their know-how to perform their civic duty in informing and educating the public on how to prevent and treat Covid-19.

• The country was urged to join organs involved in decision making and adhere to resolutions that are being used in the East African Community, the South African Development Community, the African Union, and the World Health Organization.

• The government was urged to join the Covax Facility for easy access to vaccines. At the same time, it was recommended that Tanzanians should be free to use the vaccine they prefer while the government was urged to put in place facilities to manufacture vaccines locally.

• The country’s immunization and medicine bodies were recommended as a reference in acquiring, administering, and control of vaccines in the country.

• Once acquired the task force recommended Health workers, People above 50 years, People with underlying conditions, Security apparatus and people travelling abroad to be vaccinated first.

• The president was urged to consider the economy of the country should she be forced to lock down the country or issue travel advisories.

• The report also urged that religious leaders, the private sector, and the media join the government to spread awareness about the virus.

While making the address in Dar es Salaam, President Suluhu said the country needs to have a clear understanding of where it stands in the Covid-19 fight.