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Up to 27 cricketers were part of the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) group that was vaccinated against COVID-19 at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare on Saturday.
Among them were Zimbabwe senior men’s national team players Regis Chakabva, Tendai Chisoro, Richmond Mutumbami, Timycen Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Wessly Madhevere, Milton Shumba, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Carl Mumba, Charlton Tshuma, Tanaka Chivanga and Takudzwanashe Kaitano.
Zimbabwe women’s captain Mary-Anne Musonda and her teammates Precious Marange, Modester Mupachikwa, and Esther Mbofana also got the coronavirus jab.
Apart from players, more than 20 other ZC employees, including technical and ground staff, also turned up for vaccination.
At least 35 of them were receiving their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, with the rest getting their second.
Speaking after today’s group vaccination, ZC COVID-19 compliance officer Travor Wambe, who is also the national team physiotherapist, said nearly all cricketers playing at the national or provincial level had now been vaccinated.
“We are trying to mitigate against the COVID-19 pandemic, so we are encouraging our players, officials and staff members to be vaccinated so that we minimise the risk of spreading it or getting sick in the event that they get infected,” he said.
“We have got about 27 players who have come through today . . . among them four are from the national ladies team and others from the men’s national team.
“Here we have guys like Richmond Mutumbami, Victor Nyauchi, Carl Mumba, and Wellington Masakadza, to mention a few.”
In April, ZC became one of the first sporting organisations in the country to make arrangements for its players and staff to get inoculated after the government opened up the vaccination programme to all citizens.
Since then dozens of other employees at the organisation have been vaccinated.
“This is not the first time . . . a number of our guys have already managed to get the second dose and we are almost done as an organisation,” Wambe said.
“In terms of vaccination we are probably 90 to 95 percent in as far as players are concerned, especially players of national interest. So we are almost there.”
SOURCE: ZIMBABWE CRICKET
