President Samia Suluhu Hassan became the first Tanzanian national to take the Covid 19, Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday.
On a televised event at the Mnazi Mmoja Grounds in Dar es Salaam, Samia received a jab.
She was later joined by the Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, Chief Justice, Health minister Dorothy Gwajima, former Premier Mizengo Pinda, the CDF General Venance Mabeyo and the IGP Simon Sirro among other government officials to take the jab to reassure people about the efficacy and safety of the vaccines.
A vaccination drive gets under way after Tanzania rejects its former president’s COVID-19 scepticism, who called for prayers instead of vaccines and masks.
President Samia said that the vaccine is safe, and many Tanzanians are ready and willing to receive the vaccine as she urged all citizens to get vaccinated
She later said the country of more than 58 million people will get more doses.
Many have accepted to be vaccinated while a few have rejected, I have received many messages asking when we will start vaccination. We will make sure that whoever is willing to get vaccinated gets the jab, she lamented.
Some few Tanzanians especially the businessmen had taken the vaccine due to their travel requirements because without it they would have denied their ability of doing business.
