The Erongo regional vaccination drive received a significant boost with a cash donation of N$70 000 by the Walvis Bay Salt Company on Wednesday, 11 August 2021.
“The devastating impact of Covid-19 has touched us all in one way or another; and it will continue to wreak havoc in all spheres of society if we do not take action and vaccinate,” said Andre Snyman, managing director of Walvis Bay Salt Holdings. He added that as a responsible business and leading employer in Walvis Bay, the company fully supports the voluntary vaccination drive by Government. Snyman also applauded the initiative taken by the Erongo Governor Neville Andre to intensify the vaccination campaign in the region. “Collaboration between the public and private sectors is critical in achieving success,” Snyman urged.
“The fact is we’re in this together means that we all have a role to play to reduce the severity and scale of the pandemic. If we want to reach herd immunity, which is estimated at roughly 90% of the population, we have a long way to go,” Snyman highlighted. At present only about 3.2% of Namibians have been fully vaccinated, and roughly 7.4% of the population has received their first jab.
The regional governor has set his sights on ensuring that 68% of Erongo (roughly 121 000 individuals) is vaccinated. The daily target is 1,000 people per day.
Expressing his gratitude towards Walvis Bay Salt Company for the donation, Erongo Governor Neville Andre said: “What you are giving us today really means a lot. We will put it to good use to get our people vaccinated.”
Erongo Regional Health Director Anna Jonas, also present at the handover ceremony, said that over 17 000 residents of the region have received their first dose of either AstraZeneca or Sinopharm.
“This represents 14% coverage of the Erongo population. We are really happy that the number has started going up,” said Jonas. She indicated that more than 800 people in the region got the jab on 9th August and on 10th August this number increased to 1 400. “Even smaller districts like Usakos and Omaruru are really picking up, but we still need more people to get vaccinated,” she said.
According to Jonas, over 5,000 people have received their second dose of either AstraZeneca or Sinopharm, which represents 4% coverage.
The Health Ministry recently announced that those who are waiting for their second dose of AstraZeneca should go to the nearest vaccination site now, after a Dutch donation of 75,000 doses of the vaccine recently arrive in the country.
Contributed by Walvis Bay Salt Holdings
