12 Aug 2021

 The Ngami District Health Management Team has lost seven health staff members since the first COVID-19 case was registered in the district. 

Ngami District Health Management Team Acting Coordinator Dr Sandra Maripe-Ebutswe revealed this during a meeting in Maun on Wednesday. 

Dr Maripe-Ebutswe said they lost three doctors, two nurses, a physiotherapist and a hospital orderly. 

She said to date, about 12 doctors, 94 nurses and 96 support staff members were affected by COVID-19. 

Consequently, the Ngami District Health Management Team was experiencing shortage of staff as most staff members were either in isolation or quarantine. 

“At some point, the COVID-19 laboratory was closed for almost two weeks and we sought assistance from Francistown to help in Maun,” she said. 

Okavango District Health Management DHMT) Team Coordinator Dr Bokwena Moali in her virtual presentation said 84 health workers were affected by COVID-19 since registering the first case in the district.

 She reported one death resulting from the disease. She said to date the Ngami District had recorded about 129 COVID-19 related deaths while the Okavango recorded about 24 deaths. 

Dr Moali said that the Ngami DHMT had so far recorded a total of 5 553 cases with 955 active cases to date while the Okavango sub-DHMT has registered 3 239 cases and had 559 active cases to date. 

She noted that most patients were on home isolation in the two health districts with about 688 people on home isolation in the Ngami and 244 people on home isolation in the Okavango.  Ends