The country that rejects the vaccine against covid-19 and says that “there is no coronavirus”

Since June last year, when President John Magufuli declared the country “covid-19 free,” he and other top government officials have scoffed at the effectiveness of masks, questioned whether the screening tests work, and laughed. from neighboring countries, which have imposed sanitary measures to curb the virus.

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Magufuli also warned, without providing any evidence, that COVID-19 vaccines could be harmful and instead urged Tanzanians to use steam inhalation and herbal medicines, none of which have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a treatment.

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Image source, Reuters

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It is not clear why the president has expressed such skepticism about vaccines, but he recently said that Tanzanians should not be used as “guinea pigs.”

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“If the white man could invent vaccines, he should have already found a vaccine to AIDS, cancer and tuberculosis“said Magufuli, who often presents himself as an opponent of Western imperialism.

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WHO disagrees

“Vaccines work and I encourage the government [de Tanzania] to prepare for a vaccination campaign against covid, “said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Africa Director.

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The doctor added that the organization is ready to support the country.

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Image source, AFP

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But Health Minister Dorothy Gwajima reiterated Magufuli’s stance on vaccines, adding that the ministry had “your own procedure on how to receive the medications, and we do so after being satisfied with the product. “

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He made those comments at a press conference this week in which an official demonstrated how to make a smoothie with ginger, onions, lemons and pepper; a drink that would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, they said without providing evidence.

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“We must improve our personal hygiene, wash our hands with soap and running water, use tissues, herbal steam, exercise, eat nutritious food, drink plenty of water and [usar] natural remedies with which our nation is endowed“, Gwajima insider.

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But this, he said, not because the virus is in the country. Tanzanians must be prepared because the virus is “ravaging” neighboring countries, he said.

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Skepticism

Some doctors in the country are skeptical about the government’s position.

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“The problem here is that the government is telling Tanzanians that the vegetable mix, which has nutritional benefits, it’s all they need to keep the coronavirus at bay, but it’s not the case, “a local doctor who spoke anonymously told the BBC, adding that people should take precautions against the virus.

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But Dr. Gwajima, the president, and three other senior officials are the only ones who can provide information about COVID-19 in the country, according to a Magufuli directive.

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In an unprecedented measure, however, the leaders of the Catholic Church in the country they broke their silence recently and warned the public to adhere to health measures to slow the spread of the virus.

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“The covid is not over, it is here. Let’s not be reckless, we have to protect ourselves, wash our hands with soap and water. We also have to wear masks again,” said Yuda Thadei Ruwaichi, bishop of Dar es Salaam, the most populous city from Tanzania.

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The secretary of the Tanzanian Episcopal Conference, Charles Kitima, told the BBC that the church has observed an increase in funeral services in urban areas.

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Image source, AFP

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“We were used to having one or two Requiem Masses a week in urban parishes, but now we have daily ceremonies. Definitely, something you mall“, said.

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The Health Minister said that such statements are alarmist. The lack of official data makes it difficult for there to be an informed public discussion.

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“Wear masks – and not just because of the coronavirus”

However, the Tanzanian government does not completely deny the coronavirus. There were times when he even seemed to acknowledge that the virus could exist in the country.

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In January, days after Denmark reported that two of its citizens who visited Tanzania tested positive for the most transmissible South African variant of the virus, Magufuli blamed Tanzanians traveling abroad for “import a newTheand strange coronavirus“.

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Image source, Tanzania Ministry of Health / Twitter

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After visiting two hospitals, Mabula Mchembe, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health, said that patients with respiratory problems suffered from hypertension, kidney failure, or asthma, instead of coronavirus.

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But a later statement on the Twitter account of the Ministry of Health that “not all patients admitted to the hospital have coronavirus”, hinted that there were some then who did have the virus.

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On Friday, it was reported on the Mwananchi news site that Mchembe encouraged people to wear face masks “not because of the coronavirus, as some think, but to prevent respiratory diseases “.

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But one fact that has complicated the government’s position is the public announcement by the opposition ACT Wazalendo party that one of its top officials, Seif Sharif Hamad, and his wife have tested positive for the virus.

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The government has made no public statements about Hamad’s condition, nor has it responded to repeated requests for comment from the BBC for this article.

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Image source, AFP

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On January 21, the day Peter began to feel bad, a local news story made a big splash across the country.

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The administrators of a well-known international school they retracted a statement in which they announced that they would not offer more physical classes to one of their groups because a student tested positive for coronavirus.

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The retraction came after management met with government authorities in the region, news site The Citizen reported.

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The school said it regretted the “circulation of false information” and that it would continue with normal operations.

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This feeling of moving on as if nothing had happened is what the government has been encouraging, but Peter’s wife laments that, like so many other Tanzanians, she and her late husband did not take precautions to protect themselves.

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Their lack of caution is not surprising, given that the president and other senior government officials have continually emphasized that “there is no crownvirus“ in the country.

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