COVID-19 testing capacity must be improved
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THE uncertainties brought about by COVID-19 have put our young democracy on a path
to a concerning future but be that as it may, we must be certain that in order to be better
positioned to respond to the full threat of COVID-19, our testing capacity needs drastic
and urgent improvement.
There is no denying that our testing has been not sufficient and Namibia needs
thousands of tests to better understand the true number of infections and halt their
spread.
While the number of confirmed cases in Namibia is rising gradually with a the total
number of confirmed cases now standing at sixteen (16), this week, President Hage
Geingob in a statement, acknowledged testing capability needs improvement adding
that all efforts are being made to procure sufficient testing kits and medical equipment
to strengthen our capacity to respond.
In the interim Geingob urged all Namibians to obey and cooperate with the authorities
highlighting that this deadly virus does not respect social strata, race, ethnicity or
boundaries.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisation director-general, last
week was quoted saying: “We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test.”
The message is even more relevant for countries with fragile health systems such as
Namibia to stop the coronavirus from spreading to the majority of the country where
controlling the pandemic might prove to be a tougher task. Health experts have
emphasised that testing more people allows for early identification, isolation and
treatment of coronavirus patients.
Perhaps, this is the best time to take cue from our neighbours, South Africa that have
rolled out a mass testing campaign that has reached nearly 60 000 people with plans to
ramp up the exercise.
Such tests would help the country prevent a major catastrophe in Namibia considering
the fact that if the virus was to reach our informal settlements such as Havanna, it would
mean rampant spread that might prove difficult to contain.
We must not be oblivious to the fact that the pandemic continues to escalate
tremendously and the number of deaths is increasing rapidly. Consequently, the world is
witnessing an unprecedented number of new infections and thousands of lives lost ina
very short space of time.
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