By: Justicia Shipena
Health minister Kalumbi Shangula says that the Covid-19 fifth wave Namibia is experiencing has reached its peak.
Shangula said this in an interview with Eagle FM’s Home Run programme.
According to him, following the epidemical trajectory, Namibia cannot expect more cases of the novel coronavirus than what it has already experienced in the fifth wave.
“We have already peaked at 595 cases. We have come down, and now it is maintained at about 200 cases per day,” he said.
Shangula stated that Namibia does not expect another upsurge within the fifth wave.
However, he said it expects that there will be a sustained but gradual downward trend in the number of cases.
“Until we say that we are now out of the fifth wave. We don’t expect another upsurge within the current wave. We have already reached the peak,” he added.
He added that it may not be accurate to say the cases are skyrocketed. “We are in a better situation now, unlike in the third and fourth waves,” he said.
He also said that the highest number of cases recorded per day in the fifth wave was 595.
“During the fourth wave, it was 1 334 and currently, from 595 cases to almost 600, we have been consistently within 200.”
Namibia will soon have its 44th Covid-19 briefing by President Hage Geingob, and current public measures are expected to lapse on 15 June.
“We only put measures warranted by the situation,” said Shangula.
He added that the government is confident that it has educated the public enough on Covid-19 and its measures. He, however, said it is not the government’s responsibility to always police individuals.
“Individuals have to take responsibility. We have still measures in place which say do this, don’t do this, then you will be safe. So we expect individuals to be wise enough to follow the measures,” he emphasised.
Shangula also said lockdowns and curfews cannot be imposed when it is not warranted.
“There is also the economy to take into account. The country must grow, and we want to go out of the situation.”
Earlier this week, Ohangwena regional education office had temporarily closed because the director of education, Isak Hamatwi and two staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
Last year during the winter season, the Covid-19 third wave hit Namibia while it was unprepared, becoming the deadliest Covid-19 wave.
Last year, Namibia, which has a population of 2.5 million, reported the highest death rate in the world during the third wave.
According to the world data, 22 per million people died in Namibia per day during the Covid-19 third wave in June 2021. During the third wave, Namibia experienced the Delta variant.
The number of cases per day more than tripled, from an average of 507 cases per day to 1 798 cases per day.
Last December, Geingob said that the rate of Covid-19 infections due to the omicron variant had surged, ushering Namibia into the fourth Covid-19 wave.
