Tanzania Says It Has No Plans to Import Covid-19 Vaccine

Tanzania's health ministry is urging citizens to practice hygiene and use traditional medicine to treat Covid-19. In addition, the country's health minister, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, is reported to have said: "For now Tanzania has no intention of importing any of the vaccines being reported in other countries until we are satisfied they have been clinically proven to be safe." But Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the head of World Health Organisation (WHO) in Africa, has urged the country to ramp up public health measures. In a tweet, Dr Moeti said: "Science shows that #VaccinesWork and I encourage the government to prepare for a Covid vaccination campaign." The country has a controversial history with regard to the novel coronavirus. The East African notes that President John Magufuli announced the country to be Covid-free in mid-2020 in a public address in the capital city Dodoma, saying God had answered the country's prayers. The country received a shipment of Madagascar's self-proclaimed plant-based novel coronavirus remedy on May 8 despite WHO warnings that its efficacy was unproven. Tanzania last posted novel coronavirus updates on April 29 when the national caseload stood at 509 with 21 deaths and 183 recoveries.