Tanzanian Gov't Says It Has Been Keeping COVID-19 Statistics: "Data Has Always Been There"
- Deputy Health minister Godwin Mollel said in an interview that data on the COVID-19 pandemic has always been there
- During his reign, the late John Magufuli was called out by international partners for allegedly shielding a situation that was getting out of hand
- On May 17, Samia Suluhu received a report from the COVID-19 evaluation committee, which she had formed to assess the virus situation in the country before issuing advice
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The Tanzanian government has said that it has kept COVID-19 statistics despite having stopped releasing data in May 2020.
According to a report by The Citizen newspaper, Deputy Health minister Godwin Mollel told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle that data on the COVID-19 pandemic has always been there.
“All I can tell you is that statistics on the pandemic have always been there. So if there were no statistics or updates on what was going on, then this could definitely have caused a lot of anxiety among the populace,” Mollel said.
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Mollel indicated that the President Samia Suluhu led-administration had its own way of communicating with the relevant bodies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), regarding various diseases.
No published COVID-19 data
The East African government has not published data on coronavirus infections since May 2020.
During his reign, the late John Magufuli was called out by international partners for allegedly shielding a situation that was getting out of hand as reports emerged that many were dying despite the lack of statistics from the government.
The late president was christened a COVID sceptic, going by the way he downplayed the virus, advising Tanzanians to use traditionally induced methods to challenge the virus.
Most of the techniques of combating the spread of the dreaded virus, including imposing lockdowns, the mandatory wearing of face masks in public places, and social distancing, were not adhered to strictly, emphasising the use of traditional remedies, including steam inhalation.
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Combating the spread of the virus
But since taking office in March 2021, Samia has shown commitment to handling the pandemic despite assertions that the country had trounced over the virus.
On May 17, Suluhu received a report from the COVID-19 evaluation committee, which she had formed to assess the virus situation in the country before issuing advice.
The report indicated that Tanzania had experienced two big waves of the pandemic since March 2020, when the first cases were reported.
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While foreseeing the possibilities of a third wave, the committee, through the report, recommended several measures that would be instrumental in curbing the pandemic should it intensify.
"Since the entry of COVID-19 in Tanzania in March 2020, Tanzania has been hit by two big waves and now due to the trend of the disease in other nations; there is the threat of the third wave appearing," partly read the report from the COVID-19 evaluation committee.
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The committee advised the president to authorise state agencies to conduct free vaccination meeting World Health Organisation (WHO) standards.
The committee recommended that the COVID-19 statistics be made public for citizens to be properly informed before observing the anti-COVID guidelines.
KSh 61 billion IMF loan
TUKO.co.ke understands that data release is one of the conditions for the country to access a KSh 61 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is meant to help the country tackle the economic challenges pandemic.
The Minister of Finance and Planning, Mwigulu Nchemba, told the parliament during budget reading on Thursday, June 10, that Tanzania would be seeking a loan from the IMF.
The Rapid Credit Facility loan, which will be occasional, will also seek to address the adverse impacts of the disease, both economic and social, The Citizen reported.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
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