Covid-19 Blues: Botswana must urgently publish a clear vaccine roll-out plan

In the past few weeks, Botswana has recorded some of the highest Covid-19 transmission rates on the African continent. This debilitating third wave of infections has come at a time when the country’s inhabitants remain inadequately protected, with only 5.5% of the population fully vaccinated and a further 4.8% having received a single vaccine dose. Hospital mortuaries are reportedly at maximum capacity and deaths as a result of Covid-19 continue to rise.

In late July, infections in Botswana reached their peak. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the country registered 4,566 new cases on 30 July, with a reported positivity rate of 641 infections per 100,000 people in the preceding seven days. Compounding the country’s low vaccination rate, Botswana now also faces the unenviable situation of having a very low Covid-19 vaccine supply.