Increase in COVID-19 cases worries health ministry

Clifton Movirongo

The Ministry of Health said it is worried about a resurgence of COVID-19 cases after the country recorded its highest number on Thursday, 26 November in months, with 149 new positive cases recorded in Namibia. This comes on the day after the local and regional elections where voters stood in long lines with no social distancing.

The Khomas region according to Ministry of Health figures, recorded the highest number with 105 cases recorded in Windhoek out of 149 cases from 1,327 results received from the testing laboratories countrywide.

Last week, the Minister of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Kalumbi Shangula, dismissed suspicions that the second wave of the pandemic had reached Namibia.

According to the Minister, this represents an 11 percent positivity ratio and 119 percent more confirmed cases than the cases reported on Wednesday.

“For the past 40 days, we had been reporting less than hundred cases per day with a daily average of 40 cases. This is quite worrisome, more especially that we are approaching the festive and holiday season, and people will start moving to visit relatives in different areas of the country,” Shangula.

He added that the 38 cases from Karas region in the Lüderitz district, are mainly from the fishing industry.

The total number of active cases currently stands at 650 and with two COVID-19 fatalities reported from Windhoek district. The total number of COVID-19 related deaths stand at 147.

Meanwhile, a second wave of COVID-19 has swept across Europe and North America where most countries were beginning to see a spike in numbers again. The holiday season to come will mean an even higher spike in pandemic related fatalities and infections.

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