The Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement has called on government to consider buying the Abdala vaccine produced in Cuba to vaccinate members of the public against COVID-19.

AR spokesperson Simon Amunime in a press statement Thursday said that when the pandemic started, Cuba sent a number of medical personnel to several countries, and Cuba’s progress and leadership in the health and medicine sector have always been an inspiration to AR as Cuba has socialist revolutionaries who inspired other socialist revolutionaries in the developing world.

“The news that Cuba despite the American economic embargo has developed and manufactured a homegrown vaccine against COVID-19, the first in the developing world, is a socialist achievement which our movement is very proud of. As the future of the planet and humanity hangs in the balance we call on the developing world, including Namibia, to add the Cuban Abdala vaccine to the list of vaccines to widen the choice for those who take an individual decision to get vaccinated,” said Amunime.

He added that AR as a leftist movement that draws inspiration from leftist struggles particularly in the former colonies and developing world, draws inspiration from the leadership provided by Cuba during this pandemic and would welcome the Namibian government deciding to allow the procurement of its vaccine.

Approached for comment, Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Kalumbi Shangula said government would procure any COVID-19 vaccine that is approved by the Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council and the World Health Organisation.

Source: Namibia Press Agency