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COVID-19 deaths on the rise in the Omaheke Region

COVID-19 deaths on the rise in the Omaheke Region

There has been an alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 deaths in the Omaheka Region, despite a high recovery rate in the region, Omaheke Regional Governor, Pijoo Nganate noted while attending the weekly briefing by the Regional Health Directorate on 17 May.

Nganate said he was proud of the team’s work despite the various challenges the Regional Health Directorate faces and since he is a COVID -19 survivor himself, he attested that the team is doing a good job with community mobilization, infection control, providing psychosocial support and treatment of Covid-19 patients.

He encouraged the team to strengthen their counselling efforts towards suspected COVID-19 cases in order to reduce anxiety, thereby encourage people to be tested.

According to the Regional COVID-19 Surveillance team, most of the deaths occur in the elderly population, those 60 years and older, though most COVID-19 were confirmed among adolescents, mostly school learners.

“80% of those who have succumbed to COVID-19 in Omaheke region had comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer or an infectious disease and some of the deaths are attributed to delay in treatment where people are hesitant to seek medical attention on time,” they added.

The team further reported that some community members who test positive do not isolate as required, but thy continue visiting their friends and families, thereby spreading the virus.

Omaheke Regional Health Director, Jeremia Shikulo acknowledged the challenges the region faces in responding to the pandemic, such a limited medical personnel and transport, adding that such challenges have been raised at various platform.

He urged various stakeholders in the region to provide assistance in order to overcome the pandemic.

To date, a total of 1161 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the region, 1088 of those cases have recovered while 45 people are in isolation and a total of 110 people are currently in quarantine. Of the 50,339 people vaccinated against Covid-19 country wide, the region accounts for 6%.



 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.