Niël Terblanché
ON the eve of President Hage Geingob addressing the Namibian Nation on the government’s latest COVID-19 response and intervention measures, the country’s positivity rate has declined from a peak of 18 % to only 7% over the past month despite increased capacity to test for SARS-CoV2.
At the same time the number of people declared recovered from the illness increased sharply and now represents more than 75 percent of the 9 964 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic in March.
Ben Nangombe, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, announced the latest COVID-19 statistics and said 144 people were declared recovered.
He said 103 people from the Khomas Region, 12 from the Omusati Region, ten from the Kunene Region, nine from the Karas Region, eight from the Erongo Region, and two from the Omaheke Region all received a clean bill of health and those that were admitted to health facilities were discharged an allowed to go home.
Nangombe also announced that only 63 people tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV2 over the past 24 hours.
He said that 44 people in Windhoek, five in Rundu, three in Rehoboth, two each in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, and Tsumeb, and one each in Omaruru, Mariental, Oshakati, Otjiwarongo, and Gobabis tested positive for COVID-19.
He said the testing capacity of Namibia has been gradually increasing.
“Looking into the testing data for the individuals tested for the first time from the beginning of August to date, using a 15 day interval, there had been a constant increase in the number of tests conducted. Inversely, the number of positive cases has been declining with exception of the period 16-30 August 2020, where cases peaked and positivity rate shot up to 18%, with a subsequent decline to only 7%,” he said.
Nangombe announced the COVID-19 related deaths of a 61-year-old man from Windhoek and a 28-year-old man from Swakopmund. He said that both patients had known co-morbidities and both were admitted to hospitals at the time of their passing.
The latest fatalities increased the COVID-19 related death toll in Namibia to 108.
