13 Apr 2022

 About 70 per cent of the population has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination, according to Acting Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe.

Speaking during a media breakfast meeting in Gaborone on Tuesday, Mr Lelatisitswe said this was a great achievement because the country was well on course to achieving the target set by World Health Organisation (WHO), for countries to have achieved 70 per cent full vaccination of their total populations by mid-2022.

The minister stated that it was also important to note that the country had been exceeding every target that had been set since it started the vaccination programme.

“Last year, both WHO and CDC Africa, set targets of 40 per cent for countries to have achieved by December 2022 and we have managed to reach those targets,” he said.

Mr Lelatisitswe said the ministry had also met the President’s target of 64 per cent of the then target population of 18 years and above, by December 2022.

He however expressed concern over youth, aged 18 to 29, who were not keen on getting vaccinated and those reluctant to get their booster shot.

“This is worrying because, should a surge in infections come our way, these groups may be at higher risk of disease severity,” he said. The minister therefore urged members of the media to help spread messages to these groups about the importance of getting vaccinated and boosting.

Meanwhile, Director of Health Services, Dr Pamela Smith-Lawrence said the COVID-19 disease burden in Africa was on a downward trend.

She said as the continent was exiting the 4th wave, which came with the Omicron variant, COVID-19 cases had declined in the Southern Africa region.

“For the past two months, the country has recorded a declining trend of COVID-19 cases, with at most two mortalities recorded on average weekly,” she said.

Dr Smith-Lawrence also said locally, COVID-19 related mortalities were still linked to chronic diseases and partial vaccination.

Regarding vaccination rates, she said Africa was the lowest COVID-19 vaccinated continent with only four countries, Botswana included, having managed to reach and maintain the 40 per cent target set by WHO.

Moreover, she said, as the country was approaching the winter season, the ministry was cautiously monitoring all indicators of the disease, disease burden and vaccination status.

“As such, we are looking at emerging variants, especially as we approach the winter months, so we take it all of this as a package to be able to determine the next step,” she said.

Dr Smith-Lawrence said therefore, the country was not in a position to ease off any COVID-19 health protocols, including the wearing of facial masks. She urged the public to continue following the set COVID-19 health protocols and to vaccinate so as to avoid any future difficulties.

Meanwhile, 53 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, as of April 6th, with no new mortalities documented. Ends