||Kharas Governor, Aletha Frederick has urged teachers, heads of department, principals and support staff members at schools to get vaccinated before returning to school for the resumption of face-to-face teaching.
Learners and teachers are expected to resume with face-to-face teaching and learning on 04 August.
Delivering the State of the Region Address here on Friday, Frederick in the same vein encouraged all inhabitants in the region to get vaccinated in order to help reduce the burden of hospitalisation which puts additional pressure on the already exhausted health system.
Frederick said about 6 410 people thus far received their first dose of AstraZeneca and Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines and 2 006 had their second doses.
“The number of people vaccinated is way too low for our region and I urge the inhabitants of the region to get vaccinated, let us break free and steer clear from the ongoing stigmatisation, disinformation and misinformation via social media, and strive as a united force to achieve herd immunity,” said the governor.
She said there are currently 15 vaccination points in the region.
Frederick said the region as of Friday recorded a total number of 7 049 COVID-19 positive cases while 166 people have succumbed to the virus and 6 548 recovered from the virus.
The region Friday had 335 active cases of which 31 were hospitalised. Six of these were in intensive care due to shortness of breath and oxygen deficiency.
Frederick further said the region has an acute shortage of medical officers and nursing staff, adding that the health ministry is also experiencing shortages of essential vaccination commodities such as fridges, photocopy paper and other materials.
“There is also a lack of sonar machines and mobile X-ray machines, the State hospitals at Karasburg and Lüderitz do not have wall-mounted oxygen supply systems, we have a shortage of mortuary space, there is also a need to develop an emergency operations centre,” added Frederick.
She called for harmonious cooperation between the public and private sector for effective coordination of response strategies noting that such cooperation, which is crucial amidst crisis-filled conditions, should include the joint mobilisation of resources.
“I urge all good-natured individuals, institutions and the corporate world to support regional efforts in order to collectively fight the COVID-19 pandemic which is causing considerable socio-economic havoc in Namibia, and any form of assistance is welcomed to overcome the shortage of oxygen and requisite machinery,” she stressed.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
