Malawi to commence roll out Coronavirus vaccine in March this year, starting with 20 percent of the population.

Making the announcement last night, President Lazarus Chakwera said the country has secured doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to give as many citizens as possible immunity against Covid-19.

The Malawi Leader said first consignment of the vaccine will arrive in the country at the end of February in readiness for roll out in March.

He said the rolling out of the jabs will prioritise frontline workers, the elderly, and those with underlying conditions.

“Chakwera added that the country`s scientists in local labs will attest the safety of the jab and give full information so that no one is misled by what he called social media lies

“Our own scientists in our own labs will verify the safety of the vaccine and will give you full information so that no one is misled by social media lies and propaganda against vaccinations that the scientific community has worked hard to provide to save lives,” said the Malawi leader.

The President disclosed that it has been confirmed that the new strain of the virus from South Africa is in the country.

“As a demonstration of the significance of this viral sequencing capacity, it has been confirmed that the new strain of the virus from South Africa is indeed here in Malawi,” confirmed Chakwera.

He also announced that for the first time since the pandemic hit the country, local scientists at the Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust (MLW) lab at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital now have the capacity to sequence the virus that causes Covid-19.

According to Chakwera, being able to sequence the virus will reduce the country`s reliance on labs in South Africa for that service.