The director of health for the Khomas Region, Tomas Ukola, on Monday said some 150 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine are expected to arrive in Namibia by the end of this week.

Ukola was speaking at a media conference held to update the public on the COVID-19 response measures the region has put in place.

He said the vaccines were procured by the government for its vaccination campaign.

At the same event, Khomas Governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua announced that so far, 687 people in the region have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and 39 015 cases have been confirmed in the region. Of these, 14 416 cases are active. In addition, 49 999 people in Khomas had received both their first and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Monday.

“We are facing challenges like excessive oxygen demand in our health facilities; non-adherence of individuals to COVID-19 prevention protocols; non-adherence to protocols by businesses; overwhelmed testing sites; over-stretched human resources for health which also increases the shortage of healthcare workers; increasing demand for admission both in private and public health facilities; as well as a serious demand for space in the State mortuary for more space to store bodies,” McLeod-Katjirua said.

She added that the regional leadership will continue to identify sites for vaccination in Windhoek.

The Namibian Police Force’s Khomas Regional Commander Ismael Basson, who spoke at the same occasion, said the police arrested 235 people for not being indoors during curfew on Friday and Saturday, while 15 people were arrested for illegally selling alcohol.

Source: Namibia Press Agency