31 Mar 2021

March 30 marked one year since the first case of COVID-19 was registered in Botswana.  Ever since then positive cases kept rising.  

However, although positive cases rose steadily especially for the better part of 2020, registered deaths due to COVID-19 rose but not in an alarming rate compared to the beginning of 2021.

Every COVID-19 update on television or radio bears the sad news of increasing numbers of those who have succumbed to the deadly virus. 

The deadly disease has torn families apart.  People are not able to bury loved ones and more than ever, everyone is eagerly waiting for a permanent solution and get back to their normal lives and families back together.

With much anticipation for the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, local residents have expressed mixed reactions about the vaccine.

Reactions gathered from the public randomly indicate that the elderly cannot wait any longer to receive the jab. This group could not hide their fears and uncertainties of what the future behold.

One such elder is 71-year-old Ms Shale Gaosegelwe of Kgope village.  She is anxiously waiting to get vaccinated.  She said when it was announced that the first batch of the vaccines that were donated by India had arrived she was optimistic that lives would be sparred.

She dismissed unconfirmed statements that some COVID-19 vaccines had negative side effects such as clotting of blood, saying that all she needed right now was to get a jab as well as for her children because she could not afford to die and leave her children alone. 

The delay of getting the vaccination rolling, she said brought fears that perhaps the elderly population was being decreased deliberately.

Ms Kadimo Molepo aged 50 of Lentsweletau is among those who could not wait for the vaccination to be rolled out. She dismissed those casting aspersions and rumours over vaccines safety.  She said some people did not have a stand and that there was no government that could deliberately inject people with unsafe vaccines.  

She warned those who spread such rumours to desist from making blanket statements without first verifying the information because doing such could send others into panic mode in these difficult times.  “We are fearful and anxious at this present moment,” she said, stating that with increasing numbers of people who die from this disease government should respond quickly.

Ms Molepo further stated that government should consider tagging those who would received the vaccine for identification purposes.

However, there are some that are hesitant especially the youth and people in the middle age perhaps because of information in various platforms such as social media and other news sources. A group of young girls from Motswakhumo Junior Secondary School in Lentsweletau also expressed their skepticism over the vaccines fearing the negative side effects that can prevail after inoculation.

One of them, a 14-year- old Nancy Selwana, a form three pupil at Motswakhumo JSS said that her fears about getting immunisation bordered around the side effects of the vaccine and also questioned the manufacturers’ credibility.

Thirty four year-old Mr Ofentse Kgotlhang also from Lentsweletau said if one was not sick they should not be vaccinated but rather priority should be given to those who were sick.  He also said that some people were confused because vaccines that were said to be rolled out had different names and from different suppliers therefore the confusion stemmed from their safety because they were different.

However, some said they were concerned that according to the vaccination plan, they would not be able to choose vaccines because they did not know the implications of their effects later in their lives.

They also pleaded with government to make it a point that people were not vaccinated according to any class be it social, political or economic status but rather people should be treated equally because they needed each other to move the country forward .

Meanwhile in an interview, Kweneng District Commissioner, Ms Berenice Berman-Mosime said the district was gearing up for vaccination rollout campaign.

She said committees from the district down to village level had been formed for the coordination of the vaccine rollout campaign as well as sensitizing the public of the vaccination programme.

She further said the committees would also involve village leadership such as Dikgosi as well as village extension teams to help disseminate information.  

These committees, she said would have daily updates through virtual meetings and physical meetings in areas with network challenges.

Despite limited resources such as transport, the District Commissioner said departments would pledge vehicles for the campaign to run out smoothly.

However, the targeted number to receive the jab in the district is estimated at over 17 000 people above the age of 18. In addition, there will 135 vaccination points in the entire district that will be manned by about 80 teams subject to availability of staff. ENDS