23% of target population vaccinated

ELLANIE SMITWINDHOEKAs of the beginning of this week, Namibia has administered 413 876 first doses of Covid-19 vaccines, translating to 23.3% of the target population of 1.7 million.This was shared yesterday by health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe at the launch of a tourism sector vaccination drive.He said the number of vaccine eligible residents was adjusted from the initial 1.5 million with the addition of children 12 and older.“A total of 351 690 persons - or 19.8% - are fully vaccinated. These figures are still far behind where we need to be as a country to control the pandemic.”Nangombe said during the current wave, propelled by the Omicron variant, they have started to see more and more severe illnesses, hospitalisations and deaths.“This is especially among older adults and people with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and HIV, mainly among the unvaccinated. Hence, we need to encourage more people to get vaccinated.”He added that the launch of the tourism vaccination drive therefore comes at the right time to increase uptake and vaccination coverage amongst the general population.Lifeline sectorAccording to Nangombe, the private sector in Namibia - including the tourism sector - are key partners and stakeholders in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.Tourism has for many years been one of the major contributors to the country’s gross domestic product, and a creator of thousands of job opportunities for Namibians, he said.“Before the onset of Covid-19, the tourism sector was forecast to perform better in terms of its contributions to the national economy.”He said despite the tragedy of Covid-19 and the resultant loss of jobs and closure of businesses, the sector has been a lifeline and has managed to sustain the livelihoods of many in Namibia.Positive impactNangombe added that government has spared no effort and has been supportive of the sector to help it weather the storm.For example, the Tourism Revival Initiative was introduced early on in the pandemic to cushion the effects of the pandemic on the sector and help it be resilient in the face of the difficult operational conditions occasioned by the pandemic, he said.“Statistics show that the initiative had a positive, albeit short-lived and limited impact, on the industry in terms of creating a conducive environment to attract tourists to Namibia. It also created a much-needed boost of confidence in the sector as part of Namibia’s overall Covid-19 strategic trajectory.”He said they will continue to re-evaluate the public health measures and Covid-19 regulations regularly to ensure continued operations for tourism and other sectors.ellanie@namibiansun.com

23% of target population vaccinated

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-07

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23% of target population vaccinated

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-07

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