Publications
- Botswana has a stockpile of more than three million Covid-19 vaccines
- South Africa, China, India, Germany, the US and France donated some of the vaccines
- Despite a slow start to its vaccination rollout, on 18 January, Botswana started giving booster jabs.
Botswana has a stockpile of more than three million Covid-19 vaccines that will enable the country to go beyond community immunity, as well as administer booster shots.
By 20 January, Botswana - with a national population of 2.37 million - had fully vaccinated 45.9% of the population, and 50.8% of the population had received their first dose.
"Botswana currently has more than three million doses of various Covid-19 vaccines in hand for vaccination of all Batswana and residents in the country aged 12 and above," said ministry of health and wellness permanent secretary Christopher Nyanga.
"All eligible Batswana and residents of this country, therefore, are urged to come forward for vaccination or if vaccinated, for booster shots."
About 100 800 of the AstraZeneca vaccines were accessed through the Covax facility and 500 000 of the Moderna vaccines were made available in a bilateral agreement between Botswana and the United States.
ALSO READ | More South African and sub-Saharan African children dying of Covid-19 than elsewhere - researchers
On 10 January, the last consignment of two million Pfizer vaccines, also made available under Covax, arrived in the country.
India supplied 100 000 doses of its Covaxin, and the one dose jab of Johnson & Johnson procured through the Avat facility amounted to 1.3 million.
China's Sinovax has also been made readily available in Botswana, after 665 694 of the two-dose vaccines arrived in the country on 16 December last year.
Nyanga noted that Botswana had also received donations from countries such as South Africa.
"Some vaccine donations were received from the People's Republic of China, Republic of India, the Federal Republic of Germany, United States of America, Republic of France, Republic of South Africa, and the Moderna company," he said.
READ | Cyril Ramaphosa: SA more than capable of holding its own in international scientific community
Despite a slow start to its vaccination rollout, on 18 January, the country started offering the booster jabs. Those who have received their last dose at least two months prior, and ideally within six months of their original shot, automatically qualify for booster shots.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
