Erongo vaccination rate ‘worrying’

ERONGO governor Neville Andre on Tuesday said it was worrying that only 19% of the intended 121 000 people in the region targeted for vaccinations have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 so far.

This was after Erongo director Anna Jonas confirmed the latest figures for the region during the governors monthly Covid-19 update at Swakopmund.

Jonas said 27% of the targeted regional population has received their first dose, adding it would require 121 000 people in the region to be fully vaccinated to achieve a degree of herd immunity.

“More effort is needed so that we can do better,” Andre said.

“We should try and at least hit 40% before the festive season starts in December,” he said.

Jonas said while there was a visible decrease in infections, hospitalisations and deaths, these cases still feature, involving mostly unvaccinated people.

“At the moment we are in good shape because of the drop in infections, but that does not mean we should relax and think Covid-19 is something of the past. We are anticipating a fourth wave, and we should be ready.

“We cannot say how hard it would hit, but the more unvaccinated people there still are, the harder we will be hit,” she said.

The most common reason for vaccine hesitancy is misinformation, Andre said.

He called on stakeholders to double their efforts, especially using social media, to communicate the right information so that people make an informed decision.