Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua has appealed to the region’s inhabitants not to fall prey to rumours about vaccination, and urged every resident to get inoculated.  

Uerikua made the appeal last week after he took his second dose of the Sinopharm vaccine at the Grootfontein State Hospital. The 39-year-old governor took the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine towards the end of last month at the Otjiwarongo District Hospital. 

“Let us remove the fear created by the myths around these vaccines. This is my second dose and I am perfectly fine as many others who took the vaccine before and after me,” Uerikua said while encouraging the region's inhabitants to go out and get vaccinated against the virus he described as having disrupted the nation's way of living and is responsible for the deaths of loved ones.

He further urged citizens to follow the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the World Health Organisation (WHO) closely for any information related to Covid-19 as the authorised organs of information, and to desist from following information from unconfirmed sources.

Uerikua said last week the health ministry announced that the world, Namibia included, is experiencing a third Covid-19 wave, worse and more severe than the initial outbreaks. 

In recent weeks, the country has witnessed a spike in the number of new Covid-19 infections, which include a higher number of hospitalisations and deaths.

He said according to the statistics from the health ministry by last week Tuesday, Namibia recorded 51 218 Covid-19 confirmed cases, with more than 710 persons who died due to pandemic related complications. 

“This shows the seriousness of putting preventative measures in place to protect ourselves and our loved ones, of which getting vaccinated is one,” he indicated. 

According to Uerikua since the rollout of the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines, Otjozondjupa immunised 4 713 inhabitants with the first dose - AstraZeneca and Sinopharm - while 242 inhabitants were vaccinated with a second doses of Sinopharm.

He reiterated the call on Otjozondjupa inhabitants to go out to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus at the nearest health facility. 

“We are aware some rural areas are in short supply of vaccines, and most people who took the first dose and are eligible for the second dose are not able to take that due to the lack of supply. Hence, there is a need for us to do more and ensure we (as a government) accelerate the rollout process to cover all target groups equally,” Uerikua added.