MOGADISHU (SD) – The government of Germany this week donated 163000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines to Somalia amid the country’s is struggling to stop the spread of  the pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in March 2020, Somalia has reported 21 998 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1208 deaths, as of 25 October 2021.

Dr. Fawziya Abikar Nur, the Minister of Health and Human Services of Somalia, thanked the German government for the donation.

“The Government of Germany has extended its valuable support to Somalia in the fight against COVID-19 and we would like to thank them for this,” said Dr Nur.

According to Somali health ministry, about 1.85 percent of our population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“With the support from Germany, we can ramp up our efforts to ensure more eligible Somalis have access to the life-saving vaccines. It is only when we join forces that we become strong enough to stamp out diseases, like COVID-19, from Somalia and the rest of the countries all over the world,” the minister said.

Sascha Kienzle, Deputy Germany Ambassador to Somalia has expressed his commitment to stand firmly with Somalia to protect its people against COVID-19

The diplomat hoped that Germay’s support will enable Somalia to immunize more of its citizens saying it will give them an opportunity to lead healthy lives and contribute to the country’s economy and development goals.