The Netherlands on Wednesday officially handed over the 75 000 doses of AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine donated to Namibia.
The doses arrived in Namibia on Sunday and have already been dispatched to vaccination sites across the country to assist in administering the pending second dose to over 68 000 people.
Speaking during the handover, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services Esther Muinjangue said the consignment comes at a critical time as Namibia has run out of vaccines, especially AstraZeneca, delaying the second doses of more than 60 000 people in the country.
“The donations will assist the government of Namibia to administer pending second doses to over 68 000 people,” she said, adding that while Namibia aims to vaccinate at least 750 000 persons with first doses by the end of September 2021, achieving this goal looks to be farfetched considering the limited availability of vaccines, coupled with delayed delivery of procured vaccines.
She said vaccination remains a critical weapon in not only saving lives, but also in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, reviving the economy and livelihoods.
In his remarks, Non-resident Ambassador of the Netherlands to Namibia, Han Peters, said the donations started as a private initiative by a couple of Dutch and Namibian citizens who wanted to help Namibia with vaccines, which has become one of the biggest challenges.
“We all know that in this pandemic no one is safe until we are all safe. The past year has not been easy. All of us had to face many challenges. It is my firm belief that by working together, across frontiers, we will be able to beat the virus,” Peters said.
Source: Namibia Press Agency