The Botswana government on Tuesday announced the mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the country will resume from Wednesday, Aug. 18, reported CGTN Africa.
The Southern African country recently received shipments of the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines and intends to use them to continue its phase two of vaccination. The health authorities have fully vaccinated over 161,000 people so far.
“Although phase two category covers adults aged 30 to 54 age groups, the target, for now, will be those aged 45 years and above, for purposes of managing congestions at vaccination sites,” Christopher Nyanga, the Permanent Secretary in the Botswana Health Ministry, said in a statement.
“Alongside those in the Phase two category as indicated, COVID-19 vaccination will also be administered on some frontline workers including security personnel, those in the mining sector, and the teaching fraternity, amongst others,” the statement added.
Botswana has reported over 142,380 coronavirus cases with a death toll of 2,043. The increasing case numbers recently have prompted the government to announce tighter containment measures.
Last week, President Mokgweetsi Masisi announced a slew of COVID-19 restrictions to blunt the spread of the virus.
The restrictions include the extension of a nighttime curfew, postponement of the reopening of schools, suspension of wedding ceremonies, reduced operating capacity for restaurants, and ban on the sale of alcohol.
Botswana President Masisi said the curfew will now begin at 8 p.m. and end at 4 a.m. for the next three weeks, after which there will be a review. He said the country would boost its vaccination campaign in the coming three weeks. He blamed the slow delivery of vaccines for the frustrating pace of inoculation.
In related news, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa crossed 7,314,632 as of Tuesday afternoon. The African Union healthcare agency said the death toll from the pandemic stands at 184,565.
