Pundits have pointed out the Tanzania President Pombe Magufuli’s policies may be a hindrance to the Covid-19 vaccine programme in Africa.
For a long time, Magufuli has been denying that there is Covid-19 spread in Tanzania. His government is now in favour of prayers towards ending the pandemic.
WHO has been requesting that Tanzania publish her statistics on Covid-19 since May 2020. However, the East African country has no testing programme in place.
There has been a high demand for burial services in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar according to sources who spoke with the Observer.
According to doctors, hospitals in Tanzania are overwhelmed with serious shortage of oxygen and hospital beds.
The Health ministry in Zanzibar recently required citizens to avoid public gatherings and “rush to a nearby hospital for testing if you feel you have difficulties in breathing”.
Most African countries in the process of starting vaccination programmes but Tanzania is not one of them.
President John Pombe Magufuli recently noted that prayers and steam inhalation and medicinal herbs are better than dangerous alien vaccines.
Several senior government officials have died in Tanzania leading to pressure from international bodies for the country to put more efforts towards combating the virus. As a response official media houses have started calling upon citizens to start wearing masks and keep social distance.
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