Botswana is on track to become the first country in Africa to vaccinate its entire adult population against COVID-19.

The Southern African nation is receiving a total of almost 2 million vaccine doses to inoculate its adult population of 1.6 million people. Voice of America reports that non-citizens are also eligible for vaccination.

The country has already received 60 000 doses of the Covishield vaccine from India and the global COVAX facility in March. In addition, 200 000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine were delivered in April. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will make up the largest portion of the next shipment of approximately 1.1 million doses, which will also include 250 000 Moderna jabs. The estimated date of delivery is not yet known.

According to the WHO, 47 851 positive cases of COVID-19 were recorded in Botswana between January 2020 and May this year, and a total of 54 620 vaccine doses have been administered across the country to date.

11 May 2021
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