Swaziland relaxes coronavirus lockdown amid confusion over vaccines and fear of third wave

The Swaziland (eSwatini) Government has announced the reopening of schools and a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions, even though vaccinations have been delayed and there continues to be a threat of a third wave of the virus in the kingdom.

Themba Masuku, the Swazi Acting Prime Minister, on Thursday (18 March 2021) announced the reopening of schools; reopening of religious gatherings; resumption of community gatherings; reopening of low-contact sports and the resumption of the sale of alcohol.

Schools would start to reopen on 29 March, but Masuku did not announce details of how this would happen. But he did say testing, treating and isolation centres had been set up in all regions of the kingdom to be accessed by pupils and teachers.

Religious gatherings can restart on 19 March. Weddings of up to 100 people under coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols would also be allowed from the same date.

In a statement he said, ‘Sporting codes being allowed to resume operations are: angling, athletics, cricket, cue sports, cycling, darts, equestrian, golf, shooting, tennis, teqball, chess, gymnastics, swimming as well as Premier League and National First Division football. The reopening of football also covers the operations of all junior and senior football national teams.’

The sale of alcohol would be allowed from 22 March 2021. Liquor outlets would be allowed to operate from Monday to Thursday between 9am and 5pm. Alcohol consumption remained strictly for home consumption.

Public transport would be allowed at 100 percent seating capacity with no passengers standing with effect from Friday 19 March 2020.

The Swaziland Government had issued mixed messages in recent days about the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. Countries across the world had suspended its use after fears it could cause blood clots.  At first Swaziland said it would continue to use it and then quickly changed its mind and suspended use.

Now, Masuku has changed the decision again. In his statement he said, ‘Let me take the opportunity to inform the nation that government has consulted widely with scientists and health experts who have all spoken with one voice that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe for use.’

He added, ‘The vaccination exercise is completely voluntary. Health workers will be inoculated in the first phase followed by the elderly, those living with co-morbidities and essential workers. Government continues to source more vaccine candidates such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V and Mordena to cover all Emaswati above the age of 18.’

The relaxation comes less than two weeks after they were extended amid fears that a third wave was about to hit Swaziland. On 6 March 2021 Masuku had said the 17,000 people testing positive and the 652 deaths in the previous year were ‘nothing short of alarming’.

He added Swaziland expected a third wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) to strike. He called the situation ‘simply unimaginable and heart-breaking’.

 

See also

Swaziland U-turn on use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/swaziland-u-turn-on-use-of-astrazeneca.html

 

Swaziland continues to use AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, despite global health scare 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/swaziland-continues-to-use-astrazeneca.html

 

Swaziland extends coronavirus lockdown and prepares for third wave to strike

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/swaziland-extends-coronavirus-lockdown.html

Swaziland U-turn on use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

The Swaziland (eSwatini) Government has done an about turn and decided to halt purchases of the controversial AstraZeneca coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Many counties across the world have suspended use of the vaccine after reports that it could cause blood clots.

The Swazi Government had said it would continue to use AstraZeneca. Now, according to a media report in Swaziland, it will not use the AstraZeneca vaccine for now.

The Times of eSwatini reported, ‘Following the latest findings that the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was less effective against the South African COVID-19 variant, South Africa stopped the enrolment of the vaccine. 

‘The eSwatini Ministry of Health also decided to halt buying the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because of the close proximity between eSwatini and South Africa while still doing studies to determine how much of the variant is in local shores.’

Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said Swaziland was turning to the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer BioNTech vaccines.

The Times quoted Nkosi saying, ‘The country did not totally depend on the Oxford AstraZeneca.’

World Health Organisation Health Promotion Officer Dr Kevin Makadzange said it also advised the delay of securing the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine until a risk benefit assessment was completed.

‘A country should make tests, to assess the probability of the South African variants against the COVID-19 known strains. If the probability of having the South African variant is low, then they could consider using the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines,’ Dr Makadzange said.

On Wednesday (17 March 2021) the Swazi Government released photographs of Nkosi being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

See also

Swaziland continues to use AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, despite global health scare 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/swaziland-continues-to-use-astrazeneca.html

 

Swaziland continues to use AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, despite global health scare

Swaziland (eSwatini) is to continue distributing the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine even though its use has been suspended in countries across the world after a health scare.

About 32,000 doses of the vaccine were thought to be available in the kingdom with donations received from India and the COVAX facility, which is partly funded by the European Union.

Meanwhile, countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Bulgaria, Thailand and Indonesia temporarily suspended distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports that it might have caused blood clots in some users.

In a statement, AstraZeneca said that as of 8 March there had been 15 events of deep-vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among the 17 million people given its vaccine in the EU and UK, which it said ‘is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size’.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization both said that there was no evidence the drug was causing clots.

The Swaziland Ministry of Health Principal Secretary (PS) Dr Simon Zwane said the vaccine was safe and it would continue to be used. He added test would be undertaken if a person who had been injected with the vaccine shows unhealthy symptoms.

As of 15 March 2021 – one year after the pandemic began – there had been 663 deaths from coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the Swazi Ministry of Health.

 

See also

Swaziland extends coronavirus lockdown and prepares for third wave to strike

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/03/swaziland-extends-coronavirus-lockdown.html

Swaziland coronavirus recovery in jeopardy as purchase of vaccine halted

Swaziland’s coronavirus recovery strategy has been derailed after Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi announced the tiny kingdom would no longer use the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Only last week she announced the vaccine would play the major tole in the first phase of the recovery plan for kingdom (also known as eSwatini).

Swaziland, which borders South Africa, was due to receive AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX Facility, the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

South Africa has stopped the rollout of AstraZeneca shots, after researchers published preliminary data showing the vaccine was less effective against the new variant of coronavirus (COVID-19) that is spreading in southern Africa.

The eSwatini Observer newspaper reported close to 90 percent of coronavirus cases in South Africa have the variant.

Nkosi told state television on Tuesday (9 February 2021) the Swazi Government would consider getting doses from Pfizer or any other supplier endorsed by the WHO.

Swaziland had expected to receive 108,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of February. Frontline healthcare workers would have been the first to get the vaccine.

As of Tuesday 16,288 people had tested positive for coronavirus and 610 had died, according to Ministry of Health figures.

See also

Slow roll out of coronavirus vaccines in Swaziland, health workers to get priority

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/02/slow-roll-out-of-coronavirus-vaccines.html