Africa-Press – Lesotho. Following the five deaths that occurred in Leribe last month that were linked to Johnson & Johnson vaccine; the Minister of Health Hon. Semano Sekatle has confirmed that the
deaths were not a result of the vaccine. Addressing the media on Wednesday Sekatle said the investigations were carried out by two groups of epidemiological and public health experts and the findings revealed that the
deceased died of other causes and not the J & J vaccine. He said the first group of experts visited the deceased’s homes to find out their health conditions and
the diseases they were suffering from before they were vaccinated. “They also investigated the health centers where these people were vaccinated as well as following up on other people who were
vaccinated on the same day, at the same place,” he added. He continued to say that the second batch of experts was composed of experts from the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU). These experts investigated the bodies of the deceased and some of the samples from the bodies were taken to laboratories
in South Africa (SA) for further investigations. He noted that the results indicated that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is safe. “It is a vaccine that
can be used to decrease the COVID-19 related deaths,” he said. He said three of the deceased were each found to have COVID-19, heart problems, sugar diabetes,
HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis (TB) while the fourth person suffered from anaphylactic shock. He said the fifth person had high blood pressure and heart diseases and had not been adhering to prescribed medication.
“The vaccine we are using in Lesotho is the same batch that is being used in Zambia and Tanzania,” he affirmed. Sekatle
added that so far, the country has vaccinated more than 250 000 people and there has never been any severe side effects. He clarified that in the whole
world, more than 4 billion people have used the Johnson and Johnson vaccine and that Lesotho will continue to encourage all Basotho to vaccinate so that they
can defeat this pandemic. Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Chief Science Advisor; Dr. Ndembi Nicaise said Lesotho is on track by surpassing WHO’s target of vaccinating at
least 10% of the population by end of September. He added that however, this coverage is not enough for the country to reap full benefits of the vaccine.
“While we understand people’s concerns, vaccines remain highly effective at
preventing severe diseases and death,” he maintained. Nicaise pointed out that the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is their top priority and anyone who has
received the vaccine and has any concerns should contact any healthcare professional. WHO Lesotho Representative; Dr. Richard Banda thanked the government of Lesotho for coming out openly and
conducting an investigation that was independent. He added that as WHO, they have followed through this process to make sure that the conclusions are brought forward.
“It has also been said that the batch of vaccine that has been used in Lesotho has also been used in other countries and those countries have
not reported any severe effects from the said batch,” he stated. Banda said they hope going forward, they will use the lessons they drew from the report and see how best they can administer the vaccine.
