31 Jan 2021

There is an urgent need to protect the elderly since it has been established that 82 per cent of COVID-19 associated fatalities were over the age of 50 years.

 Giving a stakeholder briefing address on the country’s COVID-19 studies in Gaborone recently, an official from Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP), Dr Gaerolwe Masheto said almost all COVID-19 deaths affected the senior population with underlying conditions, both chronic and new,  with particular emphasis on high rates of multimorbidity in source population such as HIV, obesity and diabetes.

He also indicated that the active age group ranging between 35 to 40 years showed the most cumulative growth of positive cases out of all other age groups. 

Highlighting on some of the causes of the outbreak of the virus, Dr Masheto mentioned lack of social distancing, attendance of large gatherings and failure to self-isolate when one had flu or cold symptoms.

He said nations globally were at risk of an overwhelming outbreak, hence there was a vital requirement for individuals to focus all attention on the COVID-19 precautions such as wearing of face masks, hand washing and sanitising, social distancing and avoiding mass gatherings.

For his part, BHP CEO, Dr Joseph Makhema said since the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 surfaced, there was an urgent need now more than ever to adhere to COVID-19 precautions.

“As we draw increased numbers of positive cases, the mortality is driven by the capacity of the healthcare system to cope. 

We do not have adequate human resources to cope and that mortality will continue to increase if we ignore the COVID-19 health protocols,” he said.

He also said since COVID-19 was a simple virus when compared to HIV, the technology that exists made it possible for the vaccine to be developed in record time while ensuring safety and efficacy. Dr Makhema shared that at least 90 vaccines were at preclinical stage while 66 were at clinical trials and 20 in the final stages of production. 

He said the country needed to form bilateral relations with pharmaceutical companies to find out which vaccines would be suitable for the local climate.

He cautioned the public to desist from listening to and spreading fake news regarding the COVID-19 vaccines, but instead wait for communication from government regarding development status of vaccines. ENDS