President Hage Geingob has said that the saving of lives against COVID-19 can only be successful once the world eliminates vaccine apartheid.

Geingob made the remarks on Wednesday at the ongoing global COVID-19 summit in New York under the theme ‘Ending the pandemic and building back better health security’.

He said that it is not in anyone’s interest that in certain countries people are receiving their first doses while in others, people are receiving booster shots, adding that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

“[US] President Joe Biden as someone who we know as a staunch partner in our fight against apartheid, we have the utmost confidence that once again, you will partner with us to ensure that indeed, all of us, whether big or small, whether old or young, whether poor or wealthy, are safe from COVID-19,” urged Geingob.

Geingob said Namibia is fully committed to the goals of ending the pandemic and building a stronger global health security architecture in 2022.

To this extent the president said the country is increasing human resources for health, infrastructure development, including expanding access to reliable oxygen supply, strengthening of health information systems, health financing and increasing health commodities and supplies.

He said Namibia aims to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population by 2022.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency