Health and Social Services Minister, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, has condemned suggestions that people are dying form Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.
Shangula, who made these remarks during the 34th COVID-19 public briefing here on Tuesday, said there are allegations on social media that the people that are dying are those that are vaccinated.
“There is no shred of evidence that supports this narrative. On the contrary, statistics confirm that those who have died are not vaccinated. Members of the public should stand warned that spreading false information about COVID-19 is an offence. As such, anyone who spreads false information about COVID-19 will face the full wrath of the law,” he stressed.
Shangula raised a concern that the number of people being vaccinated with the first dose in the country are less than those of persons who are coming for the second doses.
“It is important to note that persons who have received the first dose have built up immunity against COVID-19 and are therefore, afforded a level of protection, while those who are not vaccinated are the most at risk of severe illness and death. We are seeing this in our daily statistics, as the great majority of persons who are currently hospitalised are those that have not been vaccinated,” he said.
The minister added that similarly, the COVID-19 deaths recorded in the country in the past three weeks are almost exclusively of persons who have not been vaccinated, therefore it is important that people get vaccinated.
Also speaking at the briefing, Justice Minister, Yvonne Dausab said those that are found to be contravening the public regulations will be fined N.dollars 6 000, adding that bar, shebeens, restaurants, clubs and other establishments should ensure that their establishment are able to accommodate people and still have the necessary social distance as required.
“You cannot just put people in a (small) place just because government has said you can have 150 people. You must make sure that your place has the capacity to accommodate that certain number and if you don’t have much space, it is advisable that you take half of the people that is require to fit in that space,” she added.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
