INTERVIEWS REVEAL DIVISIONS AHEAD OF VACCINATION IN MALAWI

By Saidi Winnes

The interviews that a journalist conducted a week ago has revealed divisions among Malawians ahead of COVID-19 vaccination that Malawi Government wants to secure at the end of February so as to contain the spread of the virus.

However, the development has left Malawians dividend in groups as follows.

In the beginning, there are unaware publics that seem not to follow issues to do with vaccination and they even say whatever comes in their way will be solved accordingly that time and let alone wait and see.

On top of that, the active publics have also awaken up and such people are emphatically, saying that they are ready to receive vaccines unless the health practitioners demonstrate to them how vaccines are going to function in their bodies and failing which will make them to deny the vaccines.

On the same active groups, there are people who are saying that they trust whatever their prophets tell them so if the prophets are going to deny them from taking the vaccines they will comply to the orders of the prophets.

This month of February,2021,Government has directed Ministry of Civic Education and National unity to sensitive the masses on the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccines but this is not a simple task,considering how mixed reactions have arisen due to such vaccines.

The mixed reactions among Malawians are coming barely months after conspiracy theories making rounds on social media which are discouraging the masses from taking the vaccines saying that are poisonous to human bodies while others are saying that taking vaccines it is a sign that you have approved and received the beast available in the Bible in the book of Revelation.

Truly, the Ministry of Civic Education and National Unity being headed by Honourable Timothy Mtambo has a great task to reach out to such complexity publics before they roll-out the vaccines and the sensitization should be in a such way that leaves no room for doubting and denying among Malawians

Such fragmented publics if not fully imparted with Knowledge on how important vaccines are; will surely result into chaos and negative actions.

The question that now lingers is; What mechanisms the Government will use to make sure they have addressed such kind of publics to make vaccines fully accepted by citizens as some people do not really trust sayings from politicians.

A week ago, the State President, Dr.Lazarus Chakwera announced to the public that Malawi want to secure COVID-19 vaccines at the end of month of February so as to contain the spread of the virus in Malawi that has so far claimed 799 lives.