health

Dec. 13, 2021

LINEO MABEKEBEKE

2 min read

Ministry rolls out Pfizer vaccine campaign for kids

Ministry rolls out Pfizer vaccine campaign for kids

US ambassador to Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales

Story highlights

    Public complains that population aged between 12 and 17 has unduly not received essential COVID jabs
    Parents are urged to ensure that their children go to selected health facilities for vaccination

Metro Audio Articles

Catch our weekly audio news daily only on Metro Radio Podcast News.

listen now

THE Ministry of Health will on Wednesday roll out a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination campaign aimed at children aged between 12 and 17.

This, after the public complained that the population in that age group has unduly not been receiving the essential COVID jabs since Lesotho received its first COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year.

According to a notice released by the ministry this week, districts which will first initiate the use of the Pfizer vaccine include Maseru, Leribe, Berea and Mafeteng, while the remaining ones will follow later.

Parents and guardians of children in the said age group are therefore urged to ensure that their children go to the selected health facilities for vaccination.

The public is also reminded that this is the type of vaccine which needs to be kept under extremely cold temperatures and that it requires ultra-cold consistent storage at about minus 70 to minus 80 Degrees Celsius.  

Those who have not yet vaccinated are further urged to vaccinate as the country begins to see high numbers of positive cases.

Pfizer vaccine is the first on the market that consists of actual genetic information from a virus in the form of messenger RNA, a type of molecule whose usual job is to transport copies of genetic instructions around a cell to guide the assembly of proteins.

The MIT Technology Review has also shown that the new vaccine, delivered as a shot in the arm muscle, contains an RNA sequence taken from the virus itself.

On November 10, Lesotho received its first donation of 100 620 doses of the Pfizer vaccine through the COVAX facility in coordination with the African Union (AU).

The donation was aimed at supporting Lesotho’s national vaccine campaign and helping protect Basotho from the ravages of the COVID-19.

Enjoy our daily newsletter from today

Access exclusive newsletters, along with previews of new media releases.

The shipment was part of the consignment of millions of COVID-19 doses donated to African countries through the COVAX facility, in close coordination with the AU and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

As the country heads into the festive season, the US ambassador to Lesotho, Rebecca Gonzales has consequently appealed to Basotho to put more effort to recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19.

She further warned them to ensure that all continue to adhere to safety precautions as guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other agencies like the CDC and the Ministry of Health.

“Consistently wear your mask when you are around others. Regularly sanitise or wash your hands with running water. Observe social distancing guidelines,” Ms Gonzales noted.

The vaccine donation signifies a continuation of the USA’s global leadership in public health and the international COVID-19 response, which is said to be critical to ending the pandemic.

 

 

Share the story

METRO WEATHER FORECAST