24 May 2021

Vice President Slumber Tsogwane says the procured COVID-19 vaccines are expected to cover 1.9 million people countrywide.

Addressing a village leadership meeting in Toromoja recently, he said 200 000 doses had already been received and that in the past week, 88 907 people were vaccinated.

Mr Tsogwane stated that government’s priority  was to safeguard lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He encouraged Batswana to take the vaccine and reduce hospitalisation figures expressing concern that the numbers of people currently admitted in health facilities were too high.

The vice president warned that people with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and HIV could easily succumb to COVID-19 if they failed to get vaccinated.

He said the vaccine was World Health Organisation approved and safe for use.

Mr Tsogwane explained that the fact that some people might react to the vaccine did not mean it was not safe.

He stressed compliance to COVID-19 health protocols as the only measure capable of curbing the spread of coronavirus.

Vaccines, he stated, were not a cure but a preventative measure.

The vice president said government was concerned about congestion on public transport as well as the high numbers of people who attended social events.

He noted that there were calls for the relaxation of COVID-19 regulations on the grounds that they negatively affected the economy saying government was cognisant of that fact.

Mr Tsogwane said the state of emergency played a crucial role in controlling COVID-19 numbers adding that the disease had not ravaged local schools.

He stated that government’s intention was to enhance and upgrade the livelihoods of Batswana and had therefore devised strategies to address challenges presented by COVID-19.

 One such strategy was “SmartBots” or SmartBotswana which promoted the use of technology, he said.

He said through the strategy, all kgotla offices, schools and clinics would be connected to the Internet while payment for government services would be automated. Ends