By Paidashe Mandivengerei
CLAIMS made by President Emmerson Mnangagwa that the resort town of Victoria Falls had achieved its herd immunity against Covid-19 are misleading, a public health specialist has said.
This comes after Mnangagwa wrote, “Victoria Falls has now achieved herd immunity! I am immensely proud that over 77% of the city’s inhabitants have received their second jab. Thank you to all the health officials who have made this possible” on his official twitter page.
Speaking at a Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ) workshop in Harare, Tuesday, Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) secretary general, Norman Matara argued that this was incorrect as there are variants that determine an area’s herd immunity.
These determinants include influx of people, how the residents interact and young children’s population.
Herd immunity is achieved when between 60% and 70% of the total population is fully vaccinated (received both vaccine jabs) and gained immunity against covid-19.
In Victoria Falls 77% of the population eligible to receive covid-19 vaccination got inoculated which means the figure excludes all people under 18.
According to the last national population census conducted in 2012, those under 18 constituted 40% of the resort town’s population.
“For Covid-19 scientists believe that the herd immunity is something between 60% to 70%, if you vaccinate between 60% to 70% of the population you are most likely to achieve herd immunity but also herd immunity has other variables that go hand in hand with it, it depends on how people move so you will see that herd immunity in a local town where they are no tourists going in there, where people do not gather a lot is different from the herd immunity in Victoria Falls where we have an influx of tourists going in and out.
“You might see that in a certain town you might need to vaccinate 60% only and say we have achieved herd immunity for this town but in another town you might need to vaccinate 80%, it is not just about the number but other variables.
“That 77% that was talked about was not the whole population, it was the population of those above 18 that is eligible for vaccination so they left out young children, but the young children can still get covid-19 and still spread it,” he said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is hey to determine the herd immunity of Covid-19 and keep the rate of infections down.
