Botswana President Masisi receives first dose of Pfizer vaccine
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Friday received his first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine at Maruapula Community Hall in Gaborone.
President Masisi “encouraged citizens to take the vaccine when their turn comes, citing concern over increasing deaths due to [related] complications”, the presidency said on its website.
“I am here to receive my first jab of Covid-19 vaccine that is currently on going. I am taking the jab today. like I said before, those running the vaccine campaign made arrangements of who will receive the jab and when, so my time has come,” he said.
The southern African country is currently administering the second dose for people who received their first jab of Sinovac.
Botswana has administered at least 150,019 doses of Covid-19 vaccines so far.
The country received a consignment of the AstraZeneca vaccine last month.
The 38,400 doses were procured through the Covax facility and their delivery facilitated by Unicef Botswana.
In March, the country received 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, also procured through Covax.
As of Friday, Botswana, with a population of about 2.3 million, had recorded 59,480 cases, including 55,617 recoveries and 896 deaths. The availability of vaccines brings hope to many Batswana and will go a long way in protecting lives.
By Arnaldo Vieira & Xinhua
