National Coordinating Committee Chairperson for the Covid-19 outbreak Dr Bernard Haufiku said he strongly suspects community transmission of Covid-19 and those spreading it are just not showing the symptoms yet. Haufiku made the remarks on Wednesday at the Covid-19 Information Centre during a panel discussion on local transmission and response strategy on Covid-19. He said it is just a matter of time before it is discovered, while it will be a pleasant surprise if the country goes until June without any new positive coronavirus case reported. “Some people can be carrying the virus for days but they will still not show symptoms especially young people, and they can still infect those who come into contact with them, especially the elderly people that are vulnerable to the virus,” Haufiku said.
He said there are people that are called super spreaders, like primary school kids and they can carry the virus for days and still not feel sick or show any symptoms. “We might have people with the virus in the communities for days, but they are still not symptomatic but can infect others,” explained Haufiku.
He added that Namibia is one of the countries that are doing well to combat the virus as the country so far only recorded 16 positive confirmed cases with three recoveries and no deaths as yet, even though testing is being done every day. Thus, there was no need to extend the lockdown, as the economy needs to be considered. World Health Organisation Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer Dr Petrus Mhata, who was also part of the panel, said Namibia should not relax for having lower confirmed cases, because it has informal settlements that are overcrowded, and it will be a big challenge to deal with the virus if it enters those communities. Namibia Institute of Pathology acting Chief Operations Officer Bonnie Makumbi said the institution so far has tested 338 persons, including the retesting of those who tested positive before determining if they are still positive or are virus-free, and it costs N$954 per testing. – Nampa