The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) on Friday received a total of 250 000 doses of sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from China.
Receiving the vaccine, at the Hosea Kutako International Airport, Pharmaceutical Deputy Director in the MoHSS, Lazarus Indongo, said the vaccine is not a donation but was procured by the government at a total cost of more than N.dollars 30 million late last year. This is a commitment by the government to get every citizen and everybody in the country get vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to prevent the loss of more lives.
‘I would like to encourage the Namibian nation to get vaccinated, like our minister and the president have been emphasizing. Let us all try to get to the vaccination points and do the right thing, because we can only get back to our normal lives when everybody is vaccinated and is Covid-19 free,’ said Indongo.
Health and Social Services Minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula during the 31st COVID-19 public briefing on Thursday said the vaccine will be distributed countrywide between Saturday and Sunday, to allow for vaccination to resume by Monday.
Namibia, he said has been running low on vaccines after the country used up a large portion of the 197 200 doses received in March this year. This led to the suspension of vaccination and closure of a number of vaccine sites in at least four districts including Windhoek.
He said the country is expecting an additional delivery of 40 800 doses of AstraZeneca from the Covax Facility as from next week, noting that the exact date of arrival of the vaccines has not been communicated yet.
Government, he said, has also procured 333 333 doses of Johnson and Johnson from the Africa Union Platform and these doses will be delivered in a staggered fashion from August to December.
Furthermore, the country will receive a donation of 168 000 doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines from the United States of America via the Covax Facility between July and September 2021.
Shangula said in the meantime the ministry is identifying new vaccination sites in order to improve access as more people are now responding positively to vaccination
Source: Namibia Press Agency
