25 Feb 2021

The Maun region has registered 32 COVID-19 related deaths to date.

Ngami Regional Health Management Team (RHMT) acting coordinator, Dr Sandra Maripe-Ebutswe revealed this when updating the Maun Administration Authority (MAA) council on Wednesday.

She noted that Ngami RHMT had conducted 3 192 tests to date and had 444 positive cases.

She said 1 314 people were on home quarantine, 246 on home isolation while others were at institutional isolation centres. She said 61 were at Maun Rest Camp, 20 at Botswana Wildlife Training Institute and 18 people at Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital.

She noted that schools in the region were also not spared, and that 103 pupils, 67 teachers and eight support staff had tested positive. She added that two teachers had died from COVID-19 related complications.

Dr Maripe-Ebutswe said health officials were also affected as 20 nurses as well as two emergency staff had tested positive while one died.

Responding to questions from councillors, she said the Ngami region had only one ventilator and that patients at risk were sent to Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital in Gaborone.

She said plans were underway to establish a centre at Masunga Primary Hospital.

Dr Maripe-Ebutswe said another challenge was that oxygen cylinders were refilled in Gaborone except for those at Letsholathe Memorial Hospital which had a built in provision. ENDS