Roving Journalist
JF Roving Journalist
- Apr 18, 2017
- 2,806
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Malawi's health authorities on Wednesday said the reluctance of people to receive Covid vaccines in the country could lead to thousands of doses being contaminated by early next month. So far only 2 percent of the country's population has received the vaccine, with the government saying it plans to design mobile clinics that will reach rural people.
To date, Malawi has received just over 1.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine along with AstraZeneca, under a program run by the world health organization COVAX. However, people are reluctant to get the vaccine in the country largely because of misconceptions about its effectiveness and safety.
Dr Gift Kawalazira, who heads the health and social services department at the Blantyre health office, says there are other reasons for the people get vaccinated.
He says they have found that, as the summer season approaches, the number of infections decreases dramatically, resulting in the number of people coming in for daily immunizations declining from 2,000, to about 400 at present.
Dr Kawalazira says the presence of in-car clinics will help reach more people, adding that after the program was launched on Saturday, more than 600 people received their immunizations, while 6 private companies ordered the clinics to vaccinate their employees.
The health expert predicts that the initiative will enable Malawi to achieve its goal of vaccinating 60 percent of its population by next year, as well as eliminating the possibility of immunization.
In May, Malawi consumed about 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca that had been contaminated after many people refused to receive it on time due to concerns about its safety at the time. Statistics from Malawi's health ministry state that to date, about 700,000 people have received at least one first vaccine while another 400,000 have received full immunizations, representing 2.1 percent of the country's 18 million people.
To speed up the process, the Government is working with village leaders to sensitize people on the importance of receiving covid vaccines as soon as they see car clinics coming to their villages.
To date, Malawi has received just over 1.2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine along with AstraZeneca, under a program run by the world health organization COVAX. However, people are reluctant to get the vaccine in the country largely because of misconceptions about its effectiveness and safety.
Dr Gift Kawalazira, who heads the health and social services department at the Blantyre health office, says there are other reasons for the people get vaccinated.
He says they have found that, as the summer season approaches, the number of infections decreases dramatically, resulting in the number of people coming in for daily immunizations declining from 2,000, to about 400 at present.
Dr Kawalazira says the presence of in-car clinics will help reach more people, adding that after the program was launched on Saturday, more than 600 people received their immunizations, while 6 private companies ordered the clinics to vaccinate their employees.
The health expert predicts that the initiative will enable Malawi to achieve its goal of vaccinating 60 percent of its population by next year, as well as eliminating the possibility of immunization.
In May, Malawi consumed about 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca that had been contaminated after many people refused to receive it on time due to concerns about its safety at the time. Statistics from Malawi's health ministry state that to date, about 700,000 people have received at least one first vaccine while another 400,000 have received full immunizations, representing 2.1 percent of the country's 18 million people.
To speed up the process, the Government is working with village leaders to sensitize people on the importance of receiving covid vaccines as soon as they see car clinics coming to their villages.
