13 Feb 2022

From today, visitors to Botswana  will be required to produce COVID-19 vaccination certificates, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Edwin Dikoloti has said.

Giving a COVID-19 update on Friday, Dr Dikoloti said those not fully vaccinated would be required to produce a 72-hour valid negative PCR test result at their own cost or undergo vaccination at point of entry.

He revealed that preliminary research on COVID-19 indicated that it might evolve into an endemic stage, which meant the disease might be around for longer than anticipated.

Mr Mmusi said the prediction had forced the ministry to come up with long term interventions to manage and avert any possibility of the disease having devastating effects on people’s lives.

“The ministry will from time to time introduce new measures as may be necessary in order to help save Batswana from the pandemic. COVID-19 still remains a major challenge to the country’s health system and a threat to human life,” he said.

He pointed out that the continuous emergence of new COVID-19 variants posed serious threat to the future and human kind in general.

“Although not as deadly as the Delta variant so far, the Omicron variant has proved to be the most infectious. At the height of the fourth wave thousands of people were infected within a short space of time”, he said.

Meanwhile Dr Dikoloti said the ministry was experiencing a lower and unsatisfactory uptake of booster shots.

He encouraged people to take vaccines as it had been scientifically proven that it reduced the likelihood of severe disease, potential hospitalization and mortality in the event of infection.

The high national vaccination coverage, including uptake of the booster shots, were important  for assisting in reducing the impact of the disease, Dr Dikoloti said.

He revealed that  Botswana had enough vaccines for the entire population therefore there was no reason for one not to get booster shot.

The ministry would continue availing vaccinations in public places where people gather in large numbers, be it in malls, church or any large gatherings, he stated.

Expressing similar sentiments, Health Services acting director, Dr Pamela Smith-Lawrence stated that no one was fully vaccinated until they had taken the booster shot.

She said failure to make use of available vaccines for booster shot would result in them expiring and ultimately loss of funds.

Dr Smith-Lawrence therefore pleaded with Batswana to go for booster shots in large numbers.

She said since the outbreak of COVID-19, the ministry had emphaised a pharmaceutical approach of vaccination and protocols of social distancing, washing hands with soap and sanitizing as well as mask wearing in public spaces.

“We still emphasise the same approach as it has proved to be effective in reducing infection and transmission,” she said. Ends