SITREP 16


SITREP 16



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Outbreak Name
Ministry of Health and Social Services
Republic of Namibia
2 S) OWrorgladnizHaetailotnh
NAMIBIA
COVID-19
Country affected
Namibia
Date & Time of
report
Prepared by
03 April 2020 21:00
Surveillance Team
Investigation start date
13 March 2020
Date of outbreak declaration in Namibia: 14 March 2020.
1.
SITUATION UPDATE / HIGHLIGHTS
e No new confirmed case was reported on 03 April 2020
e Cumulatively, 14 confirmed cases reported;
e Supervised quarantine for all Namibians arriving from other countries for 14 days is
ongoing
e Partial lockdown of Erongo and Khomas regions took effect on 28 March 2020 till 16
April 2020.
o Borders have been closed except for essential/critical services and
humanitarian support to the response.
o All others prevention measures are applicable to the entire country
Key Challenges include:
o Inadequate isolation and quarantine facilities,
Inadequate human resources at all levels
Chronic shortage of PPEs, amidst logistic supply chain problems of PPEs
Inadequate material supplies including ICU units and ventilators.
Inadequate infrastructure, equipment and supplies at Points of Entry
2. BACKGROUND
Description of the latest cases
" Index cases: Two confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Windhoek
district on 13 March 2020. The married couple; a 35-year-old male and a 25-year-
old female, arrived from Madrid, Spain on 11 February 2020.
« The two cases reported on 1 April 2020, are family members of case number 9
and they arrived together from South Africa on 17 March 2020.
o A husband of case number 9, is a 36-year-old male Namibian, whose
sample was collected in Swakopmund on the 28 March 2020 and sent
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to NIP Windhoek for testing. He presented fever, chills, sore throat,
body pain, and headache.
A daughter of case 9 and 12, is a 9-month-old female Namibian, whose
sample was also taken in Swakopmund on the 28" March 2020 and
sent to Windhoek NIP for testing. She presented with fever, chills, and
poor appetite.
They are both being isolated together with case number 9 in their
house in Swakopmund.
Case (#14) is a 35 years old Namibian female health worker, who tested in
Windhoek on the 28 March 2020 after presenting with fever, cough, sore
throat, and headache.
O The test came out inconclusive twice, before it was sent to the regional
reference laboratory for confirmation, then the results came out
positive on 2™ April 2020. She is the 15 health care worker to be
confirmed positive for COVID-19 in the country).
Table 1: Confirmed cases by region as of 3 April 2020
Reporting Total
New
Active cases | Recovered | Death
region
Cases
cases
Khomas
9
8
1
0
Karas
1
0
1
0
0
Erongo
4
4
0
0
Total
14
0
13
1
0
eZ. | Pt r agceR 6 e

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COVID-19 Cases- Namibia
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% Positive Cases
* Lab Tested Cases
Figure 1: Suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases in Namibia per District, as of 03 April 2020
3. PUBLIC HEALTH ACTION / RESPONSE INTERVENTIONS
EPIDEMIOLOGY & SURVEILLANCE
e Case definitions as of 20 March 2020:
Suspect case:
A. A patient with acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one sign/symptom of
respiratory disease, e.g., cough, shortness of breath), AND a history of travel to or
residence in a location reporting community transmission of COVID-19 disease
during the 14 days prior to symptom onset;
OR
B. A patient with any acute respiratory illness AND having been in contact with a
confirmed or probable COVID-19 case (see definition of contact) in the last 14
days prior to symptom onset;
OR
C. A patient with severe acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one
sign/symptom of respiratory disease, e.g., cough, shortness of breath; AND
requiring hospitalization) AND in the absence of an alternative diagnosis that
fully explains the clinical presentation.
Probable case: A suspect case for whom testing for COVID-19 is inconclusive.
Inconclusive being the result of the test reported by the laboratory

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Confirmed case: A person with laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection,
irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms.
e Surveillance activities
= Daily pillar and intra-pillar discussions are held to deliberate daily progress,
gaps and way forward;
= Contact tracing is ongoing (see table 2)
= Call centre continue operations for 24 hours per day.
= People under mandatory quarantine are being monitored daily (see table 3)
# Training is ongoing in Erongo region for surveillance and contact tracing until
4 April 2020. Two regions (Omusati, and Oshana) have not attended
surveillance training. The virtual training platform for surveillance training are
underway for Omusati, and Oshana
= Data entry is ongoing and data dashboards are under development using
existing platforms.
Contact tracing Summary
’
Table 2: Contacts tracing summary as of 03 .04.2020
Variables
Contact risk level
High
Medium | Low | Total
Number of potential contacts
33
2]
97
157
Number of contacts identified
32
27
87
146
Number of active contacts
17
10
26
53
Number of contacts monitored
13
5
11
29
Contacts of contacts discharged
11
14
61
86
Number of contacts that developed signs &
symptoms tested
:
I
‘
ut
*Number of contacts without signs and
symptoms tested
8
1
5
14
Number of contacts tested positive
3
1
0
4
© Number of contacts lost to follow up
0
2
5
7
# Contacts never reached
0
0
3
3
*Number of (highly exposed) contacts without signs & symptoms tested. One tested positive.
© Seven contacts are lost to follow up, all are non-Namibians and have travelled back to
their countries.
# Three contacts could not be reached as they did not provide contact numbers

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Table 3: Number of people in mandatory quarantine facility of 03.04.2020
Name of the Facility
Number of people
Number of people who
developed signs & symptoms
Hardap Resort
40
0
Rock Lodge (Debmarine)
37
0
Other places in Windhoek
134
4
Zambezi Waterfront park
68
a
Gross Barman
22
0
Total
301
7
LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS
= Stock level of testing kits at NIP is low, only 525 laboratory extraction phase.
# As of 3 April 2020, a total of 353 COVID-19 specimens were recorded in the two
laboratories (NIP and PathCare) as per table below:
Table 4: COVID-19 specimens recorded in at NIP and Path care as of 03.04.2020
As of 03/04/2020
Laboratory
Total
Total sample sent to the Laboratory
NIP | Path care
South Africa
197 | 156
-
353
Total sample tested
Total results received
144 | 154
-
298
137 | 154
-
291
Total results positive
Total results negative
7
6
*]
14
126 | 148
-
274
Total results pending
24 |0
-
24
Total results inconclusive
4
0
-
4
Total sample discarded
28 | 2
-
30
Total new suspected cases in last 24 hours
11 0
-
11
*] Patient specimen collected and tested in South Africa
COORDINATION AND LEADERSHIP:
*" COVID-19 responders from all 8 thematic groups have been activated and are
operating at the National Public Health Emergency Operation Centre
(PHEOC)since 14 March 2020.
* Coordination and other pillar team meetings on COVID-19 response are held
daily.
« A Media Centre for providing up-to date and accurate information has been
established at the Khomas Regional Council offices and provides daily updates
twice a day — 10am and 4pm by the MoHSS and key stakeholders.
* Monitoring and Evaluation is being conducted regularly to ensure smooth
coordination of COVID-19 interventions.
=" Organograms for EOC, Standard Operating procedures and other
organizational/management aspects have been put together and are ready for
submission and endorsement by Senior Management.
« Various partners are actively participating in different pillar groups for COVID-19
response.
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CASE MANAGEMENT
= Out of 14 confirmed cases, one has been discharged after he recovered and
tested negative.
« The other 13 confirmed cases are in stable conditions.
# Training on COVID-19 is ongoing, daily sessions at Robert Mugabe, WCH
and KSH. Zoom meeting held weekly
= Conversion of casualty department at WCH into a highly infectious referral
ICU underway.
« A 12-bed Isolation Unit is under construction at final stage of completion at
WCH.
= Ramatex renovation underway to be repurposed as an isolation facility
= Repurposed hotels/lodges/resorts identified for accommodation of front-liners
and asymptomatic/mild suspect/probable/confirmed cases of COVID-19.
o Medical staff on call in Windhoek have already moved into a local
hotel
= Consultations with UNAM to avail a clinic for COVID-19 patients is ongoing.
= More screening sites have been identified in the regions.
= Project Active Case Finding (ACF) is currently underway in Khomas, Erongo
and Kharas regions, aimed to look for possible community transmission
LOGISTICS:
= Facilitation of the allocation of quarantine facilities in the country.
= Procurement of PPE, Medical suppliers and pharmaceuticals
# Provision of commodities specifications and verification for procurement
RISK COMMUNICATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
» Educational sessions continue to be conducted in various media
* Psychosocial support is being offered on daily basis to people under quarantine
= The communication hub where press conferences and live streams are to be
broadcasted was launched on 2 March 2020 by The two Honourable Ministers
of MoHSS and MICT.
# The video clips with the special messages on COVID-19 from the Honourable
Deputy Minister of MICT started airing on NBC TV. Plans are underway to
have these video air on One Africa TV.
« The MoHSS continue to conduct press briefing as the situation progresses.

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CHALLENGES
o Inadequate and at some places lack of isolation units at health facilities and at points
of entry in the regions.
Inadequate PPE and printed IEC materials on COVID-19
o Insufficient COVID-19 laboratory testing kits
RECOMMENDATIONS
= Establish fully equipped isolation units at health facilities and at points of entry in the
regions.
= Fast track procurement process for Personal Protective Equipment and COVID-19
laboratory testing kits
» Expedite printing of IEC materials in different vernacular languages
Date: 03.04.2020
Secretariat
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