President Xi Jinping on Wednesday sent a message of sympathy to Namibian President Hage Geingob and his wife over their infection with COVID-19, and wished the couple a quick recovery.
Namibian President Hage Geingob and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 last week and were reported to be experiencing mild symptoms
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, China and Namibia have been supporting each other and working together to combat the pandemic, which has deepened the traditional friendship between the two countries, Xi said in the message.
Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Namibia relations and is ready to work with President Geingob to push forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership to a higher level.
Geingob and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 last week and were reported to be experiencing mild symptoms.
They have now been cleared of COVID-19, an official said on Wednesday evening, according to Xinhua reports.
In a statement, presidential press secretary Alfredo Hengari said the couple's latest test results have returned negative, but they will remain in isolation till full recovery.
ALSO READ: Xi and wife send condolences over death of Prince Philip
"Measures taken to put the first couple on a path to recovery have been successful with both testing negative for the viral disease," he said.
As of Monday, Namibia had registered 55,812 confirmed cases and 854 deaths related to the disease. In Africa, 3,520,923 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported, with 87,609 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Vaccines donated by the Chinese government arrived in Namibia in March, and over 20,000 people in the country have received doses, according to the Chinese embassy in Namibia.
Vaccine assistance to the country is a concrete measure to implement Xi's commitment at the World Health Assembly and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, Chinese ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming told Namibian media in March.
Health cooperation is a highlight in China-Namibia relations. Since 1996, Chinese medical experts have been stationed in the country to provide free diagnosis and treatment services. A new team of medical experts is expected to go to Namibia this month to provide medical assistance.
zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn