Coronavirus: Namibians flock to be tested
Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) boss Dr David Uirab yesterday said they have a shortage of reagents and testing materials for the coronavirus because panicking Namibians are flocking to be tested.
He also made it clear that people will not be tested unless they have travelled to risky countries or have been exposed to a person diagnosed with coronavirus.
The health ministry has also sought to allay fears that the influx of international guests for the country's 30th Independence Day celebrations on 21 March will increase the risk of infection, saying these visitors will be no more than the average number of international travellers arriving at Hosea Kutako airport daily.
Health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe said it would be impractical to quarantine international guests upon arrival, and it would also be unwise to advise such visitors to arrive in the country 14 days before Independence Day.
“All arrivals are subjected to screening and are required and obliged to fill in a form with their details to ensure contact tracing, if necessary. We are going to employ and ensure screening mechanisms,” he said.
At a media briefing yesterday, health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula said they had received reports of nine suspected coronavirus cases, of which eight test results came back negative. The ninth sample still has to arrive from the Onandjokwe hospital. Shangula said they would now use video-conferencing facilities for international meetings, in line with the SADC ban on face-to-face international meetings. Two Namibian doctors are undergoing training in case management in Zambia in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
The media conference follows President Hage Geingob's visit to the military field hospital and isolation unit at Hosea Kutako Airport to assess Namibia's readiness in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Eric Dziuban, Namibia country director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the disease must be taken seriously.
“There is nothing magical protecting Namibia (more) than other countries. We know people are worried, but we are not hopeless,” he said.
Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Namibia, emphasised that preparing as a nation involves preparing as individuals.
“It is very unlikely that we will have a busload or plane full of positive cases. How we handle that first case is crucial. That is the kind of preparation the ministry is putting in place. So, the first thing is detecting, and that is why we commend the minister and the NIP for now being able to test in-country. It shortens the time between suspicion and confirmation. It is very important. We will soon be into the seasonal flu season. That is very important,” he said.
The global coronavirus death toll has now risen to more than 4 000 people and there are over 110 000 infections, mainly in China. Kalumbi yesterday assured Namibians that measures are in place to deal with the outbreak and emphasised the capability of the NIP to conduct tests for the virus. According to him Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo have confirmed cases. Most of these cases were imported, with the exception of Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon, which have reported locally transmitted cases.
He added that Namibia continues to strengthen its preparedness to deal with eventualities that may arise as a result of the outbreak.
“This includes putting in place capacities for screening and laboratory testing of suspected cases. I wish to inform you that in addition to screening at our ports of entry, NIP is able to carry out confirmatory tests for Covid-19,” he said.
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JEMIMA BEUKES
He also made it clear that people will not be tested unless they have travelled to risky countries or have been exposed to a person diagnosed with coronavirus.
The health ministry has also sought to allay fears that the influx of international guests for the country's 30th Independence Day celebrations on 21 March will increase the risk of infection, saying these visitors will be no more than the average number of international travellers arriving at Hosea Kutako airport daily.
Health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe said it would be impractical to quarantine international guests upon arrival, and it would also be unwise to advise such visitors to arrive in the country 14 days before Independence Day.
“All arrivals are subjected to screening and are required and obliged to fill in a form with their details to ensure contact tracing, if necessary. We are going to employ and ensure screening mechanisms,” he said.
At a media briefing yesterday, health minister Dr Kalumbi Shangula said they had received reports of nine suspected coronavirus cases, of which eight test results came back negative. The ninth sample still has to arrive from the Onandjokwe hospital. Shangula said they would now use video-conferencing facilities for international meetings, in line with the SADC ban on face-to-face international meetings. Two Namibian doctors are undergoing training in case management in Zambia in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
The media conference follows President Hage Geingob's visit to the military field hospital and isolation unit at Hosea Kutako Airport to assess Namibia's readiness in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Eric Dziuban, Namibia country director at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the disease must be taken seriously.
“There is nothing magical protecting Namibia (more) than other countries. We know people are worried, but we are not hopeless,” he said.
Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Namibia, emphasised that preparing as a nation involves preparing as individuals.
“It is very unlikely that we will have a busload or plane full of positive cases. How we handle that first case is crucial. That is the kind of preparation the ministry is putting in place. So, the first thing is detecting, and that is why we commend the minister and the NIP for now being able to test in-country. It shortens the time between suspicion and confirmation. It is very important. We will soon be into the seasonal flu season. That is very important,” he said.
The global coronavirus death toll has now risen to more than 4 000 people and there are over 110 000 infections, mainly in China. Kalumbi yesterday assured Namibians that measures are in place to deal with the outbreak and emphasised the capability of the NIP to conduct tests for the virus. According to him Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and Togo have confirmed cases. Most of these cases were imported, with the exception of Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon, which have reported locally transmitted cases.
He added that Namibia continues to strengthen its preparedness to deal with eventualities that may arise as a result of the outbreak.
“This includes putting in place capacities for screening and laboratory testing of suspected cases. I wish to inform you that in addition to screening at our ports of entry, NIP is able to carry out confirmatory tests for Covid-19,” he said.
[email protected]
JEMIMA BEUKES
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