Malawi: Govt Includes Journalists in Priority Group for Covid-19 Vaccine

Cyril Ndegeya/The East African

6 MARCH 2021

Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek)

PRESS RELEASE

MISA Malawi is pleased to notify its membership that government has included journalists in the priority group of people to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

MISA Malawi engaged the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 through the Ministry of Information requesting that journalists be among essential priority groups in the immunisation process and we are very grateful for the favourable response.

In this arrangement, journalists will be required to carry with them Media Council of Malawi (MCM) accreditation cards or employment identity cards when going to the immunisation centres.

The first 360, 000 doses of AstraZeneca Vaccine arrived in the country on Friday, March 5, 2021 and the government will announce the centres and opening dates.

We would like to encourage all journalists to get immunised as our job involves regular travel and interaction with others thereby putting us at risk of contracting Covid-19.

We also take this opportunity to implore on journalists to responsibly provide coverage on the immunisation rollout and encourage all Malawians to be vaccinated when the opportunity arises.

MISA Malawi would also like to remind journalists and media houses of the earlier arrangement in which journalists can be tested through their media house (s) when and where there are confirmed cases within the media house or there are individuals who have clear symptoms.

We wish to thank the Malawi Government through the Ministry of Information for the support that it continues to render to the media industry as we fight the Covid-19 pandemic.