THE Ministry of Health and Social Services says the 75 000 AstraZeneca doses that arrived yesterday will firstly cater for people taking their second jabs, while the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) has finally come out to endorse the Covid-19 vaccines.
“We encourage the people of our country and the members of our churches to support the vaccination campaign of our government. This support starts by having yourself vaccinated and in so doing protect others,” said CCN acting general secretary Ludwig Beukes.
The AstraZeneca doses come more than a month after Namibia ran out of this vaccine and most people have overshot the waiting period of three months between the first and second doses by two weeks and more.
The vaccines were donated by the Dutch government who had decided to discard their AstraZeneca doses.
Health executive director Ben Nangombe in a statement said the preference to those receiving their second jabs is being given because of the limited number of doses available.
“The ministry is urging those members of the public who have been waiting to receive their second dose of the AstraZeneca to go to the nearest vaccination site as from Tuesday,” Nangombe said.
He however added that the ministry is working hard to acquire more AstraZeneca doses for those who wish to get their first injection.
According to a study by the New England Journal of Medicine, the first AstraZeneca jab is only 30% effective in preventing symptomatic infection from the Delta variant while the second shot, prevents infection by about 70%.
Late last month, chief pharmacist in the ministry, Seija Nakhamela, said the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine donated by the United States will be delivered in August.
Nakhamela also said they expect an additional consignment of J&J, AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines between the end of August and early September. The ministry on numerous occasions indicated that donated vaccines are delivered faster than those procured and paid for by the government through the Covax facility as well as from manufacturers months ago.
The CCN, in a media statement, endorsed the Covid-19 vaccines despite some church leaders earlier this year indicating to the health ministry that they are against the jab.
“We call on our government to speak to us more regularly and with an open mind and agenda; only as we share our experiences and offer to each other our particular gifts and strengths will we be able to serve our people to the best they deserve,” Beukes said.
He said people should listen to good and well-informed scientific advice, rather than to misleading and harmful messages often expressed on social media.
“Vaccination goes a long way to protect ourselves and others, and to reach herd-immunity that would alleviate the pressures off our health system,” he added.
Beukes said churches have previously shown that they have the capacity to offer assistance in many ways like acting as vaccination points, offering home-based care or developing some of its sites into wards for care.
“We urge the Ministry of Health and Social Services to be open to working with the churches. We have a presence in every region of the country,” he said.
The CCN further urged the government to respond to the devastating impact of the pandemic on jobs, livelihoods and incomes of families and households.
“As church leaders we urge our government to consider a relief intervention similar to the emergency income grant but to provide this on a more permanent basis,” he said.
