The Government of Namibia accepts mistakes for Using Outdated Covid-19 vaccines

Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula said that the Ministry was to blame for destroying the Covid-19 vaccinations at the end of the previous year. It happened because they had passed their expiration date. The reason for this was due to the fact that the vaccinations had been stored for longer than they were supposed to be.

During an interview that took place on the Home Run program on Eagle FM, Shangula brought up this topic for discussion.

Because of the low vaccination rates among the general population, the Ministry of Health decided in November 2021 destroy more than 268,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine that was produced by AstraZeneca and Pfizer. This decision was brought about as a direct result of the low vaccination rates.

Among the immunizations that were discarded were 215,996 doses of Pfizer injections and 52,261 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that were slated to expire in the months of January and February. They were thrown away since there was no demand for them due to the growing number of people who are unwilling to be vaccinated.

The vaccination campaign in Namibia has only just begun, but the turnout has been less than adequate due to the unwillingness of individuals to get vaccinated due to the fact that the procedure is still difficult to carry out to this day. According to Shangula, the reluctance might be readily reduced by the proper execution of communication efforts on the side of government authorities and the media working jointly.

The nation's Minister of Health emphasized that immunizations are both effective and readily available throughout the whole nation. There was an urgent need to strengthen the public's trust and faith in the immunizations.

There has never been a period when we did not have enough vaccinations available. We regret to tell you that prior to being able to use some immunizations, we were forced to dispose of them since they had already beyond their expiry date. On the other hand, I can assure you that as a consequence of that event, we have matured and developed. 

Shangula gave his word that "we would neither acquire nor accept gifts that surpass what we can utilise in the time limit." he said this with a promise. We would never make a purchase nor accept funds that would put us in a position where we would have more than we could utilise in the allotted amount of time. We would never even think about purchasing anything for more money than we could spend in the allotted period, and we certainly wouldn't accept such an offer.

According to him, the only way for the country to immunise the population that is being targeted is for the nation to strengthen and completely include the communications strategy for educating public, awareness building, and the control of inaccurate information on the Covid-19 epidemic. This strategy, which he said was in fact a part of the large PR effort that was designed to lessen that, is geared at lessening the epidemic.

At the present time, Namibia is home to not one, not two, but four different producers of vaccines. These manufacturers include AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer. Every one of these immunizations is readily available at any one of the many medical facilities spread throughout the nation.

In May, the minister made the declaration that Namibia was in the middle of the Fifth wave, which was distinguished by an increase in the number of patients being admitted to the hospitals. This was one of the characteristics of the wave. He also said that the ministry was worried about t that patients who are admitted to the critical care unit are those who have not been vaccinated against the sickness. He said this was because these patients are at a higher risk of spreading the illness.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Namibia has recorded a total of 164 708 cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, Namibia reported 4,040 deaths due to the Covid-19 virus.

In Namibia, the rate of immunization doses for the Covid-19 virus that was handed out to every 100 people reached 32 during the month of May 2022. This was a new record.

The minister has appealed to the people of Namibia to ignore the rumors, unestablished conspiracy theories, misinformation, and deliberate lies around the Covax, which has resulted in people keeping away from Vaccination.