Archbishop George Tambala of Lilongwe Archdiocese has urged priests and administration workers to get vaccinated, saying priests come into contact with many people and could pose a danger if they remain unvaccinated.
Tambala has made the call in a letter dated December 24 and addressed to priests and church members.
He said priests are public persons and they come into contact with many people during their ministry hence they need to get vaccinated especially at this time when the Covid-19 situation in Malawi has reached an alarming rate.
“If we remain unvaccinated, we pose a danger to the people we minister to and to ourselves. We have a duty to protect life,” said Tambala.
He added that archdiocesan administration workers should get vaccinated as well to ensure that people who seek services at the archdiocese offices are safe within the offices.
“It is my hope that as we serve each other, we all remain safe and vaccinated. As we pray for God’s intervention, let us do our best to be safe and healthy,” said Tambala.
There have been a rise in daily Covid-19 cases over the past week in Malawi leading to concerns about a fourth wave.
Currently, about 77 active cases are hospitalized and the weekly positivity rate (seven days moving average) is at 41.0%.
In Malawi, 1,072,826 and 389,252 people have received the first dose and second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine whilst 283,841 have received Johnson and Johnson. Cumulatively, 673,093 people are fully vaccinated.
