Do your part and get vaccinated
Namibians who have been inoculated against Covid-19 say there is nothing wrong with the vaccine, and have encouraged others to get the jab.
Businessman Nabil Robiati is urging Namibians to get vaccinated to curb Covid-19 deaths and the constantly increasing cases in the country.
“The government has done its best to bring free vaccines, and is making them available to everybody. With the hospitals at full capacity, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to do something which is nothing but beneficial. In other countries, people don’t have the same privilege,” he posted on social media.
He added: “Go and get vaccinated; be examples in your companies and your families. Don’t be foolish. The numbers are turning into names, and those names are people we know.”
Robiati said it is important to show leadership in such times of uncertainty when employees and the public at large are doubting when it comes to being vaccinated.
“They realised we didn’t die, we didn’t lose hair, we didn’t lose our sight. I took my second jab, and I am perfectly fine, “Robiati told New Era.
The country has two types of vaccines that can be administered at fixed and mobile as well as outreach vaccination points across the country, namely Sinopharma and AstraZeneca.
Radio and TV host Josy Nghipandua said she chose to be vaccinated because although she has faith in her body being able to fight the virus, she is not certain those she may expose to the virus will be able to have the endurance.
“I chose what’s best for my loved ones and I. Make an informed decision, but please just make one,” advised Nghipandua, who had her first injection this week and is awaiting the second one.
Deputy minister of health Utjiua Muinjangue, who was one of the first leaders to be vaccinated, said Namibians should take into consideration the importance of vaccinations in the time of Covid-19, and help in the prevention of the virus.
“The vaccine is there for building and strengthening the immune system, which is important to prevent such diseases. This is a new disease which we are not having full knowledge of,” she stated.
Muinjangue, who got her second jab of the vaccine on 16 April, said she is puzzled by the sudden doubts around the vaccines, especially considering the history of the vaccine, and recalled polio and other diseases that were controlled in the country through the same process.
She cautioned the public to be sceptical of information and certain sources as they sometimes are consumed to the extent of putting more doubt in people.
“The misinformation is a problem. I am sure some people have private doctors, while there are plenty of healthcare facilities and individuals who are experts who can be approached. Go to your doctor and seek all the right information from the right source,” urged Muinjangue.
She added: “I honestly don’t understand how one can take WhatsApp messages in groups seriously without questioning the validity of such information. You have to question the authenticity of such news; it is crucial.”
Muinjangue said the risk communication and community engagement pillar is active on the vaccine, tasked with providing accurate information to the public about the pandemic and everything associated with it.
The World Health Organisation in 2019 reported that the biggest global threat to the vaccination process is hesitancy, listing it as one of the top 10 fears.