U.S. CDC Donations Fund Namibian Health Jobs to Battle Pandemic

ADF STAFF

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded 24 public health jobs to help strengthen Namibia’s COVID-19 response.

The temporary hires include two public health officers, six nurses, seven surveillance officers, seven administrative workers and two data managers at the Ministry of Health and Social Services. They are deployed in the Khomas, Erongo, Zambezi, Kavango, Omaheke, Karas and Ohangwena regions.

Money used to hire the workers is part of nearly $6.6 million in U.S. donations toward Namibia’s COVID-19 fight.

“We have lived with the COVID-19 virus for nearly eight months, and the health care staff at the front lines have been stretched to provide essential services and COVID-19 services throughout this period,” said Lisa Johnson, U.S. ambassador to Namibia. “These newly hired staff add capacity at a critical time when the Ministry of Health needs to maintain the successes the country has achieved in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.”

The data managers and public health officers will help the Emergency Operations Centre monitor and coordinate the nation’s pandemic response. The nurses will conduct COVID-19 testing, treat patients isolated in government facilities and promote measures to prevent further infections.

The surveillance officers will perform contact tracing and help identify clusters of new cases to help stop further outbreaks. The administrative officers will support contact tracing and manage records.

COVID-19 had killed 152 Namibians as of December 7, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and the pandemic has slowed the country’s mining and tourism-led economy. As the holiday season neared, Namibian President Hage Geingob feared that the country had grown complacent over COVID-19 containment measures.

“The COVID-19 experience has not been pleasant. Our economy has been hurt, thousands have lost employment, once-thriving businesses have closed, children have been home for months on end, away from school,” Geingob said in a statement. “Hence, we must remain vigilant and be prepared for any eventuality, including the possibility of a second wave. Considering the precarious nature of our economy, this is a scenario we can ill afford.”

In late November, Namibia announced plans to make an upfront payment of $1.74 million to procure COVID-19 vaccines from Covax, a global initiative that works to ensure that poorer countries have access to shots, Reuters reported. The payment will allow Namibia to buy enough vaccines for 20% of its population of about 2.5 million.

“We are not putting all our eggs in one basket,” Ben Nangombe, executive director of the Health Ministry, told Reuters. “We will look at other options, even at [a] bilateral level, to see whether we will be able to acquire these vaccines through other means. But for now, we are committed to the Covax facility. We want to get a product that is easy to manage, easy to roll out and easy to administer.”