Ngaevarue Katjangua
Community members in regions with low vaccination rates say there is still a need to educate them on Covid-19 and its vaccination before they could get jabbed.
This recommendation surfaced during focus group discussions currently underway in nine regions and conducted by officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Services in partnership with those of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology.
Namibia has so far only vaccinated around 21% of the population, although different doses are available in all constituencies for free. The World Health Organisation has set Namibia a target of vaccinating 10 000 people a day if the country is to achieve herd immunity by the end of December 2021. However, that target will be missed as the country only vaccinated 330 598 people, at around 2 000 per day, which is 22% of the population.
The vaccination campaign started in March. According to the community members, health workers are withdrawn from the community, and this leaves them with more questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine than they have answers for.
“We are mainly getting information from community members and less from health workers. But if they came to us more often and educated us about the virus and vaccinations, we would be comfortable enough to take the vaccine,” suggested a participant in Tsumkwe, Otjozondjupa region.
He added that health workers also “need to walk the talk and provide us with proof of vaccination so that we can trust what it is they want us to put in our bodies.”
The focus group discussions are conducted in a bid to understand the rife Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy after about 150 000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were destroyed as they expired because eligible people are reluctant to get the jab.
The identified regions are Zambezi, Kavango East and West, Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati, Ohangwena, Otjozondjupa, Kunene and Omaheke.
Community members also cited the fear of death due to complications or side-effects of the vaccine as another reason why they were hesitant.
“We heard all kinds of rumours about those Covid-19 vaccines, and that they all lead to us dying. That is why we are hesitant to take them,” said a participant in Otavi.
“I have high blood pressure, and was told that you cannot get vaccinated with my condition because it worsens. We are already struggling with blood pressure medication at our clinics, as it is”, another added.
In the Ondobe village of the Ohangwena region, it is believed that the consumption of traditional beer protects against and cures Covid-19, while in Tsumkwe, some believe vaccines are “for animals and could drive humans to insanity should they take it.”
During his 38th Covid-19 briefing on the national response last Tuesday, President Hage Geingob expressed disappointment about the vaccine uptake in the country.
“It is unfortunate to observe that vaccine uptake, which remains voluntary and based on personal responsibility in favour of the common good, has been slow. As a country, we are far from the goal of herd immunity, which we have set for ourselves several months ago”.
Geingob thus urged all unvaccinated people to get vaccinated.
“In that vein, I once again call on you to go out and get vaccinated in order to protect yourselves, your loved ones and your fellow citizens.”
*Ngaevarue Katjangua is an information officer in the MICT.