Niël Terblanché
A SUDDEN spike of new COVID1-19 cases at a school in Onandjokwe is a matter of concern and Namibians should make sure that they keep on adhering to the basic health protocols to prevent more cluster transmissions of the virus.
The wearing of masks, keeping to social distancing protocols, the regular washing of hands, avoiding large crowds, and going into self-isolation while waiting for test results should be practised at all times.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Esther Muinjangue announced the latest COVID-19 statistics and said that 11 learners at the same school tested positive for infection with SARS-CoV2.
“We should be more vigilant because more learners will be starting school this week. Transmission of the virus in close settings like schools flare very fast,” she said.
She gave the assurance that the learners will be closely monitored and urged those that are not feeling well to stay at home and to find medical help in a timely manner.
Dr. Muinjangue said 64 recoveries and 85 new cases have been registered since Saturday.
She said that 35 people from the Khomas Region, 21 from the Erongo Region, and four each from the Karas and Omaheke Region all received a clean bill of health.
The new recoveries increased the cumulative number of recoveries to 8 033 which represents roughly 80% of the 10 377 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic in Namibia.
With regard to the new cases, she said that 35 people from Windhoek, 12 from Oshakati, 12 from Onandjokw, seven from Rehoboth, five from Walvis Bay, four each from Mariental and Swakopmund, two from Okahandja, and one each from Usakos and Rundu tested positive out of a batch of 963 samples.
The gender distribution of the new cases is 52 males and 33 females of which the youngest patient is a four-year-old child and the oldest is a 69-year-old pensioner.
According to Dr. Muinjangue, the number of severely sick and critically ill patients remained at 14. Five patients are in high care wards while the remaining nine are receiving treatment in Intensive Care Units in Hospitals in the Erongo, Khomas, and the Oshana regions.
The deputy health minister also announced the death of a 72-year-old man from Swakopmund.
She said that the patient was swabbed upon admission to the hospital on the 14th of September because he displayed symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
“The patient had several known co-morbidities and his clinical condition continued to deteriorate since he was admitted to the hospital. He passed away on 19 September,” she said.
The death toll ascribed to COVID-19 in Namibia increased to 112 as a result.
