President Lazarus Chakwera and Vice-President Saulos Chilima yesterday led the roll-out of the Covid-19 AstraZeneca Oxford vaccine, after scientists certified it safe and effective.

In his address at Zomba state Lodge where he got the vaccine, Chakwera said he decided to be the first to get vaccinated to show Malawians that the vaccine is safe for everyone. “No one should fool or lie to Malawians about this vaccine; scientists have proven that it is safe and effective. As a show of good faith, I volunteered to get vaccinated so that you can see the vaccine is safe.” said Chakwera.

Unicef has recently provided storage facilities for the vaccine, while India donated 50 000 doses of vaccine and the African Union (AU) provided another 100 000 doses. Chakwera confirmed that there will be 861 vaccination points nationwide.