By MAIMBO MWEEMBA
Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) says it is saddening that Zambians have continued to loss lived to Covid-19 needlessly.
PeP leader Sean Tembo says he wished to place the blame squarely on Government, saying that all over the world, Covid-19 fatalities are now easily prevented by vaccinations.
“However, for more than a year now, our Government has failed to procure adequate COVID-19 vaccines for our people, thereby resulting in our people dying like flies as we have witnessed in the past few weeks, it is evident to us that instead of making independent efforts to procure available Covid-19 vaccines on the world market such as Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson etc., the Zambian Government does not want to spend money on its people and is therefore only relying on the AstraZeneca vaccine which is a donation through the COVAX program under the World Health Organization (WHO),” he said.
Mr Tembo said that it is a well-established fact that when a significant proportion of the population is vaccinated, a country is able to achieve herd-immunity which significantly slows down the rate of new infections.
“Arresting Covid-19 and the fatalities that come with it, however, given the slow pace that Government is administering the few donated vaccines, it is unlikely that Zambia will achieve herd-immunity any time soon and meanwhile our citizens will continue dying like flies, from an otherwise preventable disease,” he said.
Mr Tembo said it is evident to that instead of government would rather use taxpayers’ money boost FOREX growth than procuring necessary vaccines to save lives.
“The purpose of a country’s FOREX reserves is so that they can be utilized in situations of national emergency, it is our submission that this third-wave of the Covid-19 pandemic constitutes a national emergency and Government should spare no expense to procure the vaccines that are needed to save Zambian lives,” he said.
Mr Tembo said that Zambians should ask President Lungu that if the ongoing loss of lives to Covid-19 does not constitute a national emergency that is deserving of use of FOREX reserves
“We wish to call upon President Edgar Lungu and his PF Government to show leadership in the fight against Covid-19 by immediately procuring adequate vaccines needed for our people, otherwise our national population risks being depleted completely,” he said.
