Lesotho Health Minister Praises Gov't COVID Handling, Economic Fallout Yet To Be Managed

JOHANNESBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th March, 2021) Lesotho is handling the clinical side of the coronavirus pandemic well but there are economic consequences to manage, newly appointed Minister of Health Semano Sekatle told Sputnik on Friday, commenting on the situation in the African country as the vaccination campaign rolled out.

As Lesotho received the first 36,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine free of charge through the World Health Organization-led COVAX facility, the country intends to implement plans to deal with any future related coronavirus eventualities, the minister said.

"Life against the economy, it is a difficult situation for Lesotho. We had a surge in December and January and then followed by a hard lockdown. We moved 47 [percent of] positive ... [cases] down to a 3-percent positivity rate. Lesotho is well managing the clinical side but there is the economy side to manage as well, but however, in terms of the disease, we are managing well," Sekatle said.

According to the minister, Lesotho is now extremely prepared compared to the situation in December when the virus took the country by surprise. Due to the country's porous borders, the authorities have heightened screening efforts at the various border entrances, using a rapid antigen test to detect those infected so that they can be quickly isolated and treated.

"We are going to receive 40 percent more vaccines from the African Union. Our plan is to vaccinate 20 percent of the population," Sekatle said, adding that the first batch received last week is designed for frontline medical staff, senior citizens and risk groups.

The minister added that China and Russia had also promised to assist in vaccinating more people in the country.

Meanwhile, Sekonyela Mapetja, the programs director at the Lesotho Council of NGOs, expressed right the opposite opinion in an interview with Sputnik, saying that the African country is not prepared to fight the pandemic, as it simply calling on people not to enter the country in numbers.

"We need to be ready here for protocol. NGOs must lead from the front. The government wants to lead but they do not have enough capacity. Vaccines were rolled out last week but there are issues.

People have no faith. No research has been undertaken. We are close to South Africa and our proximity only tells you that the 501.V2 variant detected in South Africa should be scientifically detected here too. So far, all what we know is that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines currently in the country have a 20 percent efficacy rate in terms of preventing or lessening the severity of the disease," Mapetja said.

Mapetja called on the government to not take the virus lightly, saying that the health minister ought to be cognizant of the fact that winter in the tiny landlocked country's cold season bites. The specialist recommended the government speed up its vaccination drive.

"The rate, at which people are vaccinated, must be rolled out at double. The 20 percent the government is eyeing for April and May is little. People will be confronted with colds of all sorts. For us, oxygen is not enough, we need more plants. The fuss created in December and January must continue. Maybe the lockdown broke the transmission. Right now, transmissions are at a lower rate than ever and I think we cannot manage COVID-19 by lockdown, as this suffocates the education and economy of the country," Mapetja added.

Commenting on the low numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths, the expert argued this was because of the country's poor statistics.

"For us, unlike anywhere in the world, one death is one too many because of the homogeneity of our society. One death affects a number of people and raises alarms. Another thing [is that] numbers are not accurate and we cannot manage well because we need facilities, much as numbers are low, we see people dying and presenting symptoms," Mapetja said.

According to the specialist, the government should allow NGOs to go into the villages to educate the masses. And since winter is around the corner, the government must be prepared and make arrangements for food parcels, should there be a serious outbreak.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, Lesotho has registered more than 10,500 COVID-19 cases, including 3,922 recoveries and 309 deaths, according to the latest data provided by the health authorities.