KEETMANSHOOP - To sensitise residents about the importance of vaccinating against Covid-19, the //Kharas governor, young people, health workers and members of law-enforcement agencies started door-to-door visits this week in Keetmanshoop.
When New Era visited the team in the Tseiblaagte residential area, governor Aletha Frederick explained that the objective of the initiative is to raise awareness on the health benefits and importance of getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.
“The region has a very low turnup of only 5% of those eligible for vaccination getting their jabs, and this is indeed worrisome in light of the devastating effects of the pandemic,’’ she stressed.
The governor said as head of this task force, she wants them to strive towards convincing residents to get vaccinated to achieve the required targets set as people are losing their loved ones almost daily due to Covid-19.
“It is, furthermore, due to the spreading of false propaganda that people are reluctant to get vaccinated, and this is something we want to urgently address during the campaign,’’ she noted.
Frederick said the campaign would be running for the whole of July, and on Wednesdays and Fridays, all areas in town and hot spots in the region will be visited to spread the message. “As before, I hereby again want to urge residents in the region to strictly adhere to health regulations and protocols put in place so that we can as a team fight this disease,’’ she continued.
Innocent Pieter, a member of the youth in the task force, said they aim to concentrate more on the youth and older segments of the region’s population, as they are more prone to contract the virus.
“We, as youth, want to do our part in trying to reduce the death and infection rates in the region,’’ he added.
Pieter said they want to address and counter the spreading of false, misleading propaganda circulating on social media, which causes residents’ reluctance to get vaccinated, and furthermore destroys government’s efforts to curb the further spread of the deadly virus.
“It is really painful to see so many people dying as a result of Covid-19. Who will lead us tomorrow, and from where will our generation tap wisdom if this situation continues?’’ he asked rhetorically.
The youth leader also called on his peers to avoid attending large gatherings at funerals, social events, weddings and meetings as these are the breeding grounds for contracting the coronavirus.
“Let us unite and stand together as one nation to fight this pandemic collectively in order to, like other European countries, see the positive results resulting from following health protocols to the letter,’’ he stated.
Government statistics up to 5 July 2021 indicate that 5 136 residents received their first dose of vaccination against Covid-19, with 1 230 receiving their second dose in the //Kharas region. It further recorded 132 deaths, with 578 active cases.
- sklukowski@nepc.com.na