At Maruapula Community Hall in Gaborone, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi received his first injection of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on Friday.
The presidency said on its website that President Masisi “encouraged citizens to take the vaccine when their turn comes, citing concern over increasing deaths due to [related] complications.”
However, before taking the vaccine, he said: “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.”
So far, Botswana has given out at least 150,019 doses of Covid-19 vaccination. Last month, the country received a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Unicef Botswana assisted in the delivery of the 38,400 vaccines obtained through the Covax facility.
The country received 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March, which was also obtained through Covax. Botswana, which has a population of around 2.3 million people, has 59,480 cases as of Friday, with 55,617 recoveries and 896 fatalities. Many Batswana are encouraged by the availability of vaccines, which will help save lives.
