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THE number of Patients needing critical care in the various hospitals across Namibia increased significantly over the past 24 hours while the death toll keeps rising steadily.<\/p>\n
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The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, while giving the latest statistics, announced the deaths of an 84-year-old woman and a 72-year-old woman that passed away in Windhoek. Both had known co-morbidities.<\/p>\n
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The latest fatalities ascribed to COVID-19 increased the death toll in Namibia to 193.<\/p>\n
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The health minister indicated that the number of people in need of hospitalisation increased to 248 of which 44 are currently in need of critical care.<\/p>\n
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Another worrisome trend according to the health ministers is the rate at which healthcare workers are testing positive. He said the trend continued across Namibia with 15 more that had positive test results.<\/p>\n
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He said 364 people had positive results from a specimen batch of 1 845 that were analysed by laboratories over the past 24 hours. He added that the positivity ratio is still high at 20%.<\/p>\n
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He said that the health ministry is concerned about the increasing number of cases recorded in the Erongo Region which made up a quarter of the new cases registered in the country.<\/p>\n
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According to Dr. Shangula, 148 new cases was registered in the Windhoek health district while Swakopmund had 35, Walvis Bay 29, Oshakati 26, Omaruru and Opuwo 16 each, Tsumeb 13, Karasburg 11, Usakos ten, Mariental eight, Khorixas seven, Omuthiya six, Tsandi five, Otjiwarongo, Okahandja, Outapi, Okongo, and Gobabis four each, Onandjokwe and Grootfontein three each, Outjo, Okakarara, and Katima Mulilo two each while L\u00fcderitz and Oshikuku had one case each.<\/p>\n
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The gender distribution of the new cases is 183 women and 181 men of which the youngest patient is a two-month-old baby and the oldest is an 81-year-old pensioner.<\/p>\n
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Dr. Shangula said 51% of the new cases had contact with confirmed cases and that 72% presented with symptoms associated with COVID-19 at the time of submitting specimens for testing.<\/p>\n
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Dr. Shangula said during the latest announcement that 238 patients from all over the country were declared healthy.<\/p>\n
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