According to information from Our World in Data (OWID), Botswana has the most advanced Covid-19 vaccine programme in the Southern African region with a Doses per 100 people score of 2.17
The data further reveals that Botswana is the only country in the region with a Doses per 100 people figure of more than 2.
Botswana is followed by Angola with a Doses per 100 people of 1,43. Zimbabwe comes third with 0.9 percent of its population fully vaccinated.
Although Zimbabwe has so far administered 607 000 doses, and Angola 456 000 doses against Botswana’s 49,882, Botswana comes up on top because of its small population.
South Africa is fourth with 0.6 percent of population fully vaccinated. The South African media has criticized its government for falling behind Botswana and Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 vaccination programmes.
In a recent editorial, the South African Mail & Guardian charged that, “how else does one explain the fact that while the rest of the world, including our neighboring countries Botswana and Zimbabwe, have a well-advanced vaccine programme, ours remains frustratingly at its nascent stage? To date, Africa’s most industrialized nation has only vaccinated some 353,000 healthcare workers in the first phase against a target of 1,25 million people.”
Zambia came fifth with a Doses per 100 people of 0.36, after administering 64,011 doses. Mozambique is sixth with a Doses per 100 people of 0.19 after administering 57,305 doses. Namibia which has almost the same population as Botswana comes last having administered only 20, 005 doses.
Our World in Data (OWID) is a scientific online publication that focuses on large global problems such as poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, and inequality. It is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales, and founded by Max Roser, a social historian and development economist. The research team is based at the University of Oxford.
Where data for full vaccinations is available, their report shows how many people have received at least 1 dose and how many people have been fully vaccinated (which may require more than 1 dose).
Where data for full vaccinations isn’t available, the data shows the total number of vaccine doses given to people. Since some vaccines require more than 1 dose, the number of fully vaccinated people is likely lower.
Their data comes from government health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other authoritative sources, as attributed.
