Covid-19

Fish Trust awaits board appointments
15 Sep

Fish Trust awaits board appointments

ObserverObserver Money, ,
Andrew Kathindi Public Enterprise Minister, Leon Jooste has said that the process of recruiting a new Namibia Fish Consumption Promotion Trust (NFCPT) Board has been derailed by COVID-19. “The process to identify the candidates is ongoing. The entity has not been operating as a result of COVID-19 and the pandemic has also affected our program to recruit,” he told Windhoek Observer. This comes after the terms of the last Board, which served from 2017 lapsed in September 2019. The board was chaired by Suzan Ndjaleka. NFCPT was established with a mandate to promote fish consumption throughout the country, through the…
Read More
COVID saves Gvt millions in allowances
15 Sep

COVID saves Gvt millions in allowances

ObserverObserver Money, ,
Staff Writer The restriction on travel by government officials due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has saved government million in travel allowances, amid revelation only 7.1 percent of the allocated amount of N$222. 8 million for the 2020/21 financial year has been spent. According to Ministry of Finance figures, Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) has only gobbled N$15.8 million for the period April 2020 to August 2020, compared to N$116.9 million for the same period last year. This comes as it emerged that most of the travel conducted during the period was COVID-19 related, with the bulk of the allowances paid…
Read More
Namibia records spike in suicide cases
11 Sep

Namibia records spike in suicide cases

ObserverObserver Money,
Helena Johannes According to the Ministry of Health and Social Services, suicide cases in Namibia have spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Although the current statistic of people who have committed suicide this year is unknown, the ministry says suicide cases reported this far during the pandemic is worrisome significant numbers of people are choosing to end their lives due to different unbearable situations. According to Ministry of Health Social Worker Jenifer Lifasi, cases of minors committing suicide in the country are on the rise, with Namibia ranked 11th in the world for these tragic cases according to an international…
Read More
COVID crisis rocks Windhoek Central Prison
11 Sep

COVID crisis rocks Windhoek Central Prison

ObserverObserver Money, , ,
Andrew Kathindi A COVID-19 crisis has hit the Windhoek Central Prison, amidst allegations of shortage of medicine, isolation facilities and proper care of infected inmates. This dire situation according to an insider is alleged to have contributed to the death of one inmate, a death confirmed by the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS). Information made available to the Windhoek Observer alleges that many of the inmates that have contracted COVID-19 are not are left without being tested or provided with medical attention. “Some inmates are lucky get medication from their families from outside, but others, just have to wait. They are…
Read More
08 Sep

COVID 19: treatments, experiments and maybes

ObserverNational News
The Ministry of Health must be meticulously transparent about trial drugs. The media also must be responsible as it prints headlines announcing the existence of ‘treatments’ for COVID-19. This is not the time to raise false hopes. This is a time for treatments, experiments and maybes. We all want a cure, vaccine or effective treatments for COVID-19. The pressure for this is huge. The drug company that develops a vaccine or cure first will win the billion-dollar lottery. We must always be aware of the huge profits on the table and the unethical steps that may be taken around the…
Read More
CDC dismisses clinical trial claims
05 Sep

CDC dismisses clinical trial claims

ObserverObserver Money, ,
Andrew Kathindi As the debate rages on, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has dismissed claims that Remdesivir, a drug being used to treat COVID-19 patients, is being used in Namibia on a clinical trial basis. This comes as the drug, which has been approved only on an emergency basis by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has divided opinions over its safety and the intentions of its circulation in the country, with some doctors claiming that the drug is under clinical trial to see if it can officially be registered for the treatment of COVID-19. “The FDA approval…
Read More
Govt dithers on health workers risk allowance
05 Sep

Govt dithers on health workers risk allowance

ObserverObserver Money, ,
Helena Johannes There has been no movement on the implementation of the risk allowance for healthcare workers at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, Chief Executive at the Medical Association of Namibia (MAN) Dr Armid Azadel has revealed. This comes after health minister Kalumbi Shangula revealed this week that there is an increase in the number of health workers infected with Covid-19. “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have recorded a total number of 333 Health Workers infected with COVID-19. We noticed that the number of health workers infected is high in areas with high burden of confirmed cases…
Read More
Windhoek COVID cases surpass Walvis Bay
04 Sep

Windhoek COVID cases surpass Walvis Bay

ObserverObserver Money, ,
Andrew Kathindi Windhoek has officially overtaken Walvis Bay to become the local authority with the numerically highest confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. This comes as Health Minister, Kalumbi Shangula on Thursday 3 September, announced 238 new cases, of which 145 are from Windhoek. “Today, a total number of 1,630 results were received from the laboratories. Of these, 238 samples tested positive for COVID-19. One hundred and twenty-six (126) are males and hundred and twelve (112) are females. The youngest is two months old and the oldest is sixty-five years old,” said Shangula. As of Wednesday 2 September, Windhoek…
Read More
Education, NANTU in compromise deal …as private schools stick to initial dates
04 Sep

Education, NANTU in compromise deal …as private schools stick to initial dates

ObserverObserver Money, , ,
Andrew Kathindi In last ditch effort to avoid a stalemate, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) have struck a compromised deal. The final agreement between the Ministry and Union contains terms they previously found undesirable. Education minister Anna Nghipondoka, following negotiations over two days between her office, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and NANTU, announced that grades 7-9 will return to school in all regions on the 7th of September. The Khomas region is not included in this opening date. Grades 4-6 will reopen…
Read More
StartUp Namibia launches round 2 funding
03 Sep

StartUp Namibia launches round 2 funding

ObserverUncategorised, , ,
Staff Writer StartUp Namibia and its partners have announced Round 2 of the COVID-19 Startup Grant, where grants of N$15,000 each will be provided on a competitive basis to 500 start-ups. The COVID-19 Startup Survival Grant is aimed at helping start-ups and small businesses to supplement wages, fixed costs, and offset declining revenue. “Looking on the massive impact of COVID-19 on the private sector, we are very happy to extend the targeted support for start-ups and young SMEs during this challenging time. Additional funding for this project is provided by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. We…
Read More
Like Us
Follow Us
Subscribe Us
Follow Us
LinkedIn