Equitable COVID-19 vaccines should be a priority
As COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country continue to surge, it is clear that there is a growing frustration amongst Batswana at the slow pace of vaccine distribution. Therefore, the government under the leadership of President Mokgweetsi Masisi has a huge task to make sure that there is equitable access and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines to the population. As vaccines arrive and some expected in the coming weeks and months, equitable access is critical in the roll-out and success of the process. Signs are already there, everyone wants to be prioritised when it comes to the jab. Teachers’ unions, Botswana Teachers Union and Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union, have started a joint campaign aimed at putting pressure on the government to vaccinate teachers before schools reopen.
Botswana Nurses Union last month also advised that government should vaccinate nurses. Only 28% of nurses are fully vaccinated while some had not been inoculated at all. Now, as the doses paid for by the government delay in reaching the country, private companies are pressing the government to officially clear the air and allow them to directly procure vaccines from manufacturers. Improvements have not been made in the distribution of vaccines amid shortages and delayed shipments, and now members of groups that were considered as less vulnerable compared to others are succumbing to the virus. To protect the health of the nation, achieve head immunity, and protect the vulnerable, the government must urgently and explicitly centre equity and include other vulnerable groups. There are some inequities that must be addressed and acknowledged as recent hospitalisations and deaths tell a whole different story. Those in the 30-40 age group for example, form a significant number of COVID-19 patients during the current surge, according to experts.
This age group was less prone in the earlier pandemic surge. Government should also prioritise at-risk groups because of their higher exposure rates to COVID-19. In addition to prioritising vaccines at groups level, there should be transparent tracking of vaccine distribution because it is key in creating accountability for equity, and in understanding what inequities may exist.
The government has recently revealed that the phase two of the National Deployment Vaccine Plan had begun. But as the government moves in phases they should also consider overlapping phases to accelerate vaccination rates. They should continue vaccinating older adults and frontline workers while completing vaccination of health care workers. The latter have even warned that the lack of Personal Protective Equipment in hospitals may worsen the current COVID-19 situation for nurses in the workplace.