ESWATINI COVID-19 ROLLOUT

 Sir,

I read with interest the news article on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.    

I am in the UK and my wife, who works at Swaziland Fruit Canners (sorry -   Rhodes Canning Division as they call it these days), I have sadly not seen now for over a year. 

This is because I can’t leave the UK due to full lockdown and its illegal to do so other than under the strictest of reasons -  education, medical or business critical operations.  

Vaccine  

 Anyway -  I digress -   I am over 50 years, my parents got their first vaccine end of December 2020 as they are in their late 80’s.  I can assure you -   no adverse reactions at all -   not even mild flu symptoms – so I can assure the vaccine is nothing to worry about.

 While there,  they had a leaflet and it is this I have scanned and sent to you -  maybe it has facts/information that you might like to share with the readership -  mainly to remove worries and fears. Populations need to get heard immunity, but to date this is not known.   

My worry is also, in the last few hours South Africa has halted the roll out of the AstraZeneca as data shows it could only be 10 per cent effective against the mild form of the South African variant. 

 This said, it still could allow people who may still get COVID-19 to fight it off easier and then less likely to go on to serious disease or death. 

The problem, if not rolled out, is that the other vaccines for example Pfizer which showed the most effectiveness in trials was not tested against the South Africa variant so no large scale data is available.   

As the article in your paper stated, the elderly are in isolated communities. AstraZeneca can be stored and transported easier at fridge temperatures -   how many, if any, facilities in Eswatini could store Pfizer at minus 70°C let alone distribute around the country.

Marcus Maw

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