BY PHYLLIS MBANJE ALPHA Media Holdings (AMH) will this week hold a COVID-19 health summit to tackle sticky issues of how the global pandemic can be contained. The summit comes at a time there is heightened need for the sharing of factual and correct information on COVID-19 in the country to dispel the rumours, misconceptions and myths on the pandemic, especially about vaccines. AMH group chief executive Kenias Mafukidze said with the advent of the vaccines, there was need for effective communication about the respiratory disease in the country. Mafukidze said as a leading media house, AMH was keenly following global developments on the disease with the aim of giving readers concise information which is essential in making informed decisions. “AMH is privileged to be part of the fight against the disease and to help in disseminating correct information on the vaccine and to dispel the myths around it,” he said. “COVID-19 has challenged not only our health, but the way we think, work and even relate. Never before has an unseen enemy had such a disruptive impact on the human race. This demands that we work together in a transparent and honest manner. It is for this reason that we are hosting the summit in order to raise factual awareness and to prepare the nation as it faces the virus.” Mafukidze said in its various publications, AMH had made efforts to unpack key health issues, including COVID-19. Zimbabwe’s numbers of COVID-19 infections have continued to fall following a strict lockdown period. By yesterday morning, 36 058 cases had been recorded, while 1 463 people had succumbed to the disease. For the first time in months, the country recorded zero deaths last Saturday. Zimbabwe has also started rolling out a COVID-19 vaccination programme, with 15 705 people having been inoculated by yesterday morning after it received 200 000 Sinopharm doses donated by China two weeks ago. Mafukidze said the summit would help dispel some of the misconceptions around the vaccine and provide clarity on grey areas. He said the summit programme would include presentations and discussions led by key stakeholders from the Health and Child Care ministry and its partners such as the World Health Organisation.  Follow Phyllis on Twitter @pmbanje