A number of countries around the world have foiled official coronavirus statistics, artificially shared sunny views on the pandemic, or hacked reports opposing the official story.
Zoom in: But no country has accepted the coronavirus denial to the extent of Tanzania, which not only denies that it has a single case, but also rejects the vaccination.
- Even North Korea, which has not reported any cases, will receive the vaccinations from the COVAX initiative. So does Turkmenistan, which is officially COVID-free but will soon begin its vaccination campaign with Russian Sputnik V.
- President John Magufuli says Tanzania needs no vaccines, and that it does not work anyway: “If the white man could come up with vaccinations, he should have found a vaccine for AIDS, cancer and TB now.”
- His government has instead recommended herbal remedies, steam treatments and a ginger and onion smoothie to prevent infection.
Reality test: Magufuli’s COVID populism is dangerous for several reasons.
- Tanzanians die. In overcrowded hospitals, patients are giving in with oxygen, which will be officially recorded as ‘acute pneumonia’, reports The Continent.
- The virus crosses borders. The government’s decision to refuse vaccines and make a test-and-trace system anything but impossible could be dangerous for Tanzania’s neighbors and possibly for the world.
The other side: Doctors and journalists tried to spread the risks, mostly anonymously for fear of retaliation, and the Catholic Church recently sounded the alarm.