By Neo Kolane
Lesotho received the first consignment of 36,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine which is licensed to the Serum Institute of India.
After a year of disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic which saw more than 10, 000 Basotho infected with the virus, almost 300 lives lost and hundreds of thousands of Basotho families affected in countless ways, the road to recovery for Lesotho can now begin with the arrival of the vaccine.
The deliveries mark the beginning of what will be the largest, most complex global roll-out of vaccines in history. The COVAX facility plans to deliver at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this year. This is an unprecedented global effort to make sure all citizens have access to vaccines.
Speaking in Maseru yesterday, WHO representative in Lesotho, Richard Banda said COVID-19 has taken a toll on countries around the world and Lesotho is no exception.
“We know this is the first step and we congratulate the government of Lesotho, especially the ministry of health for its tireless efforts to protect Basotho and contain the spread of the virus,” Banda said.
