1,075 Years For Population To Be Vaccinated – Amnesty International

Amnesty International, alongside 27 other Non-Governmental Organisations have called on regional leaders, businesses, foreign governments and donors to ramp up efforts to increase the number of vaccinations in Southern African countries, including Zambia.

As Zambia has reported the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases, urgent attention must be paid by the government to ensure deaths and cases of the virus are reduced as quickly as possible, the call to action outlines.  

The third wave has been described by Zambian officials as “unprecedented”, as a slow vaccination roll-out has only added to the number of cases experienced. Amnesty International estimate that if Zambia continue vaccinating its population at the same pace it is today, it will take  1,075 years for the country to reach herd immunity. For Namibia this figure is 5 years and for South Africa it is 10 years.

The call for action comes only days after United Party for National Development (UPND) Alliance President Hakainde Hichilema called on the government to step up its COVID-19 vaccination programme. Mr Hichilema said that the Patriotic Front had been unwilling to learn from governments who have handled the pandemic better, leading to unnecessary deaths of Zambian citizens.

Photo: Daily Maverick