Legendary guitarist, Stiga Sola, real name Monaga Molefe was among the first age group to take a COVID-19 vaccine and he has no regrets.
Sharing his experience with Okavango Voice this week, Stiga says for him that was the scariest thing he ever had to do.
“My children told me very scary stories. They said after taking the jab the blood can freeze, or clot and cause sudden death, so it was scary,” said Stiga.
He said he however went for it, as he felt it was a matter of life and death either way.
“If I didn’t take the jab I was at the risk of contracting covid and maybe dying, so I thought why not take it, because people react differently to different medications.”
On May the 24th Stiga took the jab, but not before he went to his lawyer to write his will. “Just in case I did not survive,” he said.
Now joking about it, Stiga recalls his reactions to the vaccine.
“When I got there, I was panicking, thinking that I may die for sure and my blood pressure sky rocketed so much that I was made to rest for thirty minutes to calm down.”
During the waiting time, he says he did self- counselling to calm himself and it worked.
“They checked again and it was back to normal but afterwards the panic hit me again. I remember walking to the shops and really paying attention to my body reactions and I was okay!”
For the next four days Stiga would pay extra attention to his body and check in the mirror for any signs of abnormality but he was perfectly fine.
“I recently took the second jab an I am still okay,” Stiga said in between peels of laughter as he recalls the haste in which he drew the will.
“People know my assets, they have counted my teeth (seen my secrets),” joked Stiga in reference to the will.
However the 68- year- old is now glad that he has taken the vaccine that reduced his risk of getting the dreadful corona virus and has finally drawn a will for his children and wife.
“You know I have always thought of doing the will but then I never found time for it, so I am happy it is now done,” he said.
Since vaccine roll out in started in May this year, the country has fully vaccinated 108 589 and those who have received their first dose stands at 165 652.
Last week president Mokgweetsi Masisi promised that the country would have vaccinate all its citizens next year, 2022.
Meanwhile currently the country is vaccinating adult population aged 55 and above.
Among the medicines used in Botswana are AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, and covishield while the first batch of Johnson&Johnson is expected before end of year.
European medicines Agency (EMA) has noted that AstraZeneca is one of four vaccines authorised in the European Union (EU) for protecting against COVID-19 as studies show that it is effective at preventing the disease and reduces the risk of hospitalisation and deaths from COVID-19.
However EMA futher noted that cases of unusual blood clots with low platelets have occurred in people who received this kind of vaccine, albeit rare.
“The chance of having this occur is very low, but you should still be aware of symptoms so you can get prompt medical treatment to help recovery and avoid complications,” EMA has advised on its website.
The signs to look for according to EMA include, shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, persistent abdominal (belly) pain, and neurological symptoms, such as severe and persistent headaches or blurred vision and tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection.
