Botswana is currently running pediatric research and trials to study the effectiveness and safety of using COVID-19 vaccines in children between 5 and 11, an official said Tuesday.
COVID-19 vaccine for children aged eleven years and below is not yet available but research is well underway in Botswana, Christopher Nyanga, a spokesperson for the Botswanan Ministry of Health and Wellness, told Xinhua in a phone interview.
Nyanga couldn’t be drawn into discussing whether Botswana has identified the suppliers of the COVID-19 vaccine for children less than twelve years, saying it is still premature.
It is widely known that Botswana is working with Chinese manufacturers and suppliers of COVID-19 vaccines such as Sinovac and Sinopharm in researching and trialing the vaccine for children younger than 12 years.
Earlier this month, Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine was granted conditional approval by health authorities in Malaysia for children aged 5-11 thereby making Sinovac the second vaccine option to be included under the COVID-19 vaccination for children under 12 after Pfizer.
Authorities in Botswana say they have vaccinated more than 71 percent of the adult population estimated at 1.6 million people, which is one of the highest vaccination rates on the African continent. Enditem
