While other countries suspend the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, the country’s Health Minister Lizzie Nkosi and other ten senior health workers and World Health Organisation (WHO) representatives have taken their first dose of COVID19 vaccine.

At least 18 countries around the world have announced that they will be pumping breaks in the rollout of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine while possible side effects were being investigated. These countries include Germany, France and Denmark to mention just a few.

However, in a statement that was released on Sunday, AstraZeneca said that there was no evidence its COVID-19 vaccine led to an increased risk of blood clots “in any defined age group, gender, batch, or in any particular country.”

Eswatini Health Minister in a video that was published on the Eswatini Government Social Media Pages urged Eswatini to ignore international reports around the vaccine and emphasized that it will help the country in preventing severe COVID-19 cases which normally results in a high number of people succumbing to the virus.  

The Minister had announced that the rollout of the 32 000 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine that was donated by the Government of India and the COVAX facility will kick off from this week starting with Health workers.

Seemingly, the Minister together with the 10 Health workers and WHO representatives were the first ones to take their doses as announced by the Eswatini Government through its Social Media Pages.