THEY may be old, frail, and vulnerable, but they are the foot soldiers at the front of Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 vaccination drive. Amid widespread scepticism among the younger population, it is elderly people who are coming out to lead by example. The queues at the vaccination centres in the capital, Harare, are dominated by older people. At Wilkins Hospital, Felda Mupemhi (85) grasps her walking stick as she trudges toward a white tent, where nurses are administering the Sinopharm vaccine. “We stand a chance of beating COVID-19 if we take this vaccine. So, I came here to make a statement to the younger [generation] that they too can get vaccinated, so that we save others,” Mupemhi said. There were worries the vaccine might cause her health complications but after a short assessment interview with a health worker, she received her first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine. “I came here to make a statement to younger people that they too should be vaccinated.” Mupemhi says initially she had been sceptical: “I had already dismissed prospects of getting this vaccine. I feared it would trigger some health issues, as I am not young. But after seeing that my neighbour, who is my age, was still alright a week after getting it, that gave me the courage.” Hadingham (82) was initially turned away when health officials cited his age and asthma as possible risk factors, but a few weeks later he was thrilled to be accepted for his first dose. “I have a bit of asthma and a bad back, so I cannot walk straight, but otherwise I am healthy. I have a flu vaccine every year, there is no difference. (People) should think of the rest of the population — they should get vaccinated, because there is nothing to be afraid of,” Hadingham says. Health officials have recorded growing numbers of senior citizens getting the Sinopharm and the Sinovac vaccine as Zimbabweans begin to soften their attitudes towards the Chinese jab. “The uptake from last week is very encouraging. The elderly are coming, and those with chronic diseases have also been visiting our centres in large numbers,” Harare city health services director Prosper Chonzi said. “Our older population appreciates that they are vulnerable. Once you get the infection, chances of severity are high, so they are jumping at the opportunity. If you are given the offer of getting the vaccine, and it is free, it is wise to take it,” he said. President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the second phase of the country’s vaccination rollout on March 24, covering people with pre-existing conditions, the elderly and those confined to settlements and institutions, such as prisons and refugee camps. Zimbabwe’s economy was precarious before the pandemic, and has been hit very hard by COVID-19 induced lockdowns; in March the World Food Programme reported that food insecurity, particularly among the urban poor, is soaring. Food prices in February were 35% higher than the same month in 2020. Parirenyatwa Hospital, one of the biggest in the country, was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients at the peak of the pandemic, just afte