Ever more Batswana are travelling to South Africa for Covid-19 vaccinations amid a slow roll-out and vaccine shortages in their own country
Their government, however, will not admit that challenges experienced with the vaccination roll-out are the reasons many citizens are opting to have their jabs in South Africa. Scores more are travelling to Zimbabwe to access the potentially life-saving injection.
“Vaccination is a public health issue – you can do it anywhere. If Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe leave out Botswana citizens in their vaccination roll-out, with their hospitals getting full, it’s going to be that country’s responsibility to hospitalise them if they contract the virus – but where will they [put] them?”
Understood against the figure of 128 738 fully vaccinated people released by the country’s government on August 2, the latest figures mean that only 86 764 people were fully vaccinated in almost a month. It appears Botswana had aimed to record a higher number of vaccinated people in the first phase of its roll-out programme, which targeted those aged 55 and older, as well as public servants such as healthcare workers and teachers.“Our first phase, aiming to reach 264 000, is about protecting the health system. The second phase is to ensure continued economic activity [and] the final phase will target 18- to 29-year-olds,” Kebabonye was quoted as saying.
Many of those who were vaccinated in Mahikeng during the past week were youngsters who said they had no choice but to travel to South Africa because they were losing hope of receiving their jabs anytime soon in their own country.
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