Africa-Press – Namibia. THE second year of the Covid-19 pandemic saw Namibia’s third, and so far worst wave of Covid-19 infections devastating the health sector, livelihoods, and, lest we forget, loved ones’ lives.
Namibians, however, put their differences aside and pulled together in the fight of their lives. Companies extended a helping hand to assist the government in its attempts to save lives and livelihoods, and private doctors set up field hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients.
Namibians got together to set up impromptu charities to help feed those who have lost their jobs, and the already impoverished. Lockdowns and restrictions caused close to 15 000 Namibians to lose their jobs. This figure excludes the informal sector, which was not allowed to operate during the height of the pandemic this year.
Towards the middle of 2021, the discourse shifted to Covid-19 vaccines and many Namibians’ reluctance to be vaccinated. The country did not have enough vaccines to reach herd immunity, and therefore cried foul on the hoarding of vaccines by First-World countries. President Hage Geingob termed it “vaccine apartheid”.
After outcries by various Third-World leaders, the West started donating vaccines to African countries, and the World Health Organisation (WHO), through its Covax facility, started obtaining more doses to give to those in need.
Yet the country’s current vaccination rate is less than 25%. June, July, and August were devastating months for Namibia, as over 2 000 inhabitants died as a result of Covid-19.
The state mortuary became overwhelmed and had to lay out bodies on its floors. The funeral business boomed, and the country ran out of coffins, relying on imported coffins from South Africa.
Graveyards filled up quickly, leaving Windhoek with fewer than 9 000 burial spaces currently. THE VARIANTS In the last 11 months, Namibia battled two Covid-19 variants, Beta and Delta, while the lesser-known Omicron variant is still driving the country’s fourth wave of infections.
The Delta variant saw the Namibian health system crack under the pressure as a lack of hospital beds and oxygen left doctors with extremely difficult decisions to make.
The government started relying on external oxygen supplies to supplement its inadequate in-house oxygen production system, provided by Intaka Technology Namibia.
As the struggle for oxygen intensified, the executive director of health and social services, Ben Nangombe, met with African Oxygen Limited (Afrox) and Air Liquide Namibia, among others, to acquire additional oxygen.
In response, a 20-tonne oxygen tank was installed by Afrox at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital’s respiratory unit, with the private sector and state-owned enterprises jumping to the rescue by sponsoring hospitals with oxygen supply.
THE THIRD WAVE Namibia’s third wave of infections, driven by the Delta variant, ravaged through the county as it reported 67 525 new infections and over 2 400 deaths in three months.
On 5 July, the health ministry confirmed the presence of the Delta variant in positive samples tested in the Khomas region. The variant which was first discovered in India, at this point was detected in 98 countries, according to the WHO.
CURRENT SITUATION Namibia recently confirmed the Omicron variant is present in the country and is driving the fourth wave. Shangula says the epidemiological trajectory has worsened as the country recorded more positive cases from 29 November.
On 21 December, there were 10 643 active cases in the country, while 3 593 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic in Namibia.
VACCINATION Shangula earlier this month announced that the daily vaccination rate increased by 10% in one month. Geingob has warned that the country cannot afford to have a situation where more vaccines sit on the shelf until they reach expiry date.
“It is simply unacceptable,” he says. Timeline of Covid-19 in Namibia
13 January – Health minister Kalumbi Shangula announces the infection rate “far exceeds the previous wave”. Some 1 350 healthcare workers test positive and six die.
13 January – Shangula says both state and private hospitals are nearing full capacity.
5 February – President Hage Geingob promises not to lock Namibians down re-impose lockdowns.
15 February – 101 Ekulo Senior Secondary School pupils in the Omuthiya district test positive.
17 February – South Africa reopens its border with Namibia and entry from Botswana via the Impalila Island border crossing is possible.
10 March – 16 people test positive for the South African Covid-19 variant.
11 March – The government pays at least N$29 million of N$169,5 million to the World Health Organisation’s Covax facility for about 127 000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
15 March – Namibia receives the first doses of a Covid-19 vaccine from China.
18 March – Shangula launches the Covid-19 deployment and vaccination plan for Namibia. The country has 2 118 active cases and reports 477 deaths.
8 April – A negative test result is sufficient to enter Namibia.
16 April – The first group of people who received the Sinopharm vaccine go for a second dose.
5 May – The founding president’s office announces there will be no public gathering to celebrate founding president Sam Nujoma’s 92nd birthday on 12 May.
7 May – The Chinese-manufactured Covid-19 vaccine Sinopharm receives clearance for emergency use from the WHO.
10 May – Shangula is worried about the spike in Covid-19 ICU cases, which have increased since 23 April.
14 May – Windhoek starts experiencing a shortage of ICU beds. Some hospitals lack oxygen.
14 May – Prime minister Saara Nandjila Kuugongelwa-Amadhila receives her first AstraZeneca vaccine dose.
20 May – President Hage Geingob and first lady Monica Geingobs test positive for Covid-19.
24 May – Namibia records 55 Covid-19-related deaths in eight days.
9 June – Over 20 schools close due to infected pupils.
17June – The education ministry suspends face-to-face teaching and learning in Windhoek, and at Rehoboth and Okahandja.
18 June – Ovaherero Traditional Authority chief Vekuii Rukoro dies due to Covid-19 complications. June – Churches start feeling the pinch of Covid-19.
24 June – Namibia records 2 547 new cases and 26 deaths in one day. Between 1 and 29 June 2021 the country records 32 741 new infections and 613 deaths.
June – Namibia lacks oxygen, and households start stocking up on oxygen tanks and other related products. June – The state starts cremating bodies that have accumulated in Windhoek’s state mortuary.
9 July – Funeral undertakers at Gobabis are overwhelmed and fully booked.
27 July – The health ministry enforces a mortuary storage fee law.
13 August – Geingob announces he is fully vaccinated, with no further details.
21 August – Bar and shebeen owners protest against Covid-19 operating hours.
30 August – Namibia receives 50 000 Russian Sputnik V vaccine doses from the Serbian government.
22 September – Employees of Welwitschia Catering and Cleaning Services (WCCS), a subcontractor of Rössing Uranium Mine, are told to get vaccinated or face dismissal.
October – Geingob tells the nation to get vaccinated or go to the village. November – Namibia detects the Omicron coronavirus variant. November – western Nations suspend flights to and from Namibia.
2 December – Shangula announces that 154 595 vaccine doses will be destroyed because they are unfit for use.
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