The Minister of Health, Mr. Semano Sekatle officiated the launch of Saving lives and Livelihood projects aimed at accelerating vaccination acceptance throughout the country, the event took place in Maseru on Wednesday.
In his keynote address, the Minister said this is a three-year project to help in accelerating vaccination for Lesotho to reach its target of vaccinating 70 percent of the population.
He said COVID-19 has proved to everyone that partnerships are important, and no country can work in silos in situations of the pandemic, epidemic and other related outbreaks that threaten livelihoods.
Mr. Sekatle commented the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for its continued support in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying Lesotho like most of developing countries has no strength and the muscle to respond to outbreaks.
He also thanked all the health partners for the unwavering support they showed to the government of Lesotho, noting that they went further to establish Public National Institutes to prevent, detect and respond to pandemics.
The Regional Coordinator for South Region, Africa CDC, Dr Lul Pout Riek congratulated the ministry and its technical team for organising the important launch.
He said the initiative demonstrates an extraordinary commitment and outstanding leadership to leave no stone unturned to ensure that every eligible person in the country has an opportunity to be fully vaccinated.
He said the launch is in line with the African CDC COVID-19 vaccine strategy to leave no single country behind and to support all member states at their points of need including Lesotho, which is to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the eligible 1.3 million people on the African continent.
He said Saving Lives and Livelihoods will include a strong focus on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) to enable the Kingdom of Lesotho citizens, particularly young people and rural populations to understand the safety and benefits of the vaccination.
The Botswana Red Cross Society (Botswana RCS) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Kutlwano Mokokomane said COVID-19 has weakened the health system and as Africa Continent, they need to stand together to assist each other to fight the pandemic.
He said the vaccines are available and the project will accelerate vaccination to reach out to even hard to reach places and young people, he said they are going to assist in the mobilisation of the RCCE and skills development to data clerks and supervisors.
The Representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr Richard Banda said the pandemic will not magically disappear but leaders can help end it, saying if they have knowledge then they have the tools to fight the pandemic.
He concluded that the initiative will provide communities with access to life-saving vaccines, hence thanked the Africa CDC for the support it provided to ensure that pockets for unvaccinated areas are reached.
Lesotho was to reach 70 percent of the vaccinated population by the end of 2022, and as of today it stands at 44.1 percent of the vaccinated with all age groups included.
Source: LENA 10/08/2022
