COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia

The COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().
Early cases
The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, announced on 14 March 2020 that the virus had reached Namibia. A Romanian couple constituted the two first cases and recovered after 79 days after their initial diagnosis.
On 17 March 2020, President Hage Geingob declared a state of emergency which caused the closure of all borders, suspension of gatherings and economic related resolutions.
No infections were reported from 6 April 2020 to 20 May 2020, however there was a notable increase in cases after this period - possibly due to local transmission.
Timeline
March 2020: 11 confirmed cases, nine of which still active at the end of the month. No COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
April 2020: 5 new cases bringing the total number to 16. Half of them were active at the end of the month. No COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
May 2020: 8 new cases bringing the total number to 24. Ten of them were active at the end of the month. No COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
June 2020: 181 new cases bringing the total number to 205, of which 181 were active at the end of the month. No COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
July 2020: 1,924 new cases bringing the total number to 2,129, of which 1,953 were active at the end of the month. Ten COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
August 2020: 5,421 new cases bringing the total number to 7,550, of which 4,148 were active at the end of the month. 65 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
September 2020: 3,590 new cases bringing the total number to 11,140, of which 2,130 were active at the end of the month. 46 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
October 2020: 1,848 new cases bringing the total number to 12,988, of which 1,766 were active at the end of the month. Twelve new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
November 2020: 1,357 new cases bringing the total number to 14,345, of which 694 were active at the end of the month. 18 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
December 2020: 9,596 new cases raising the total number to 23,941 of which 3,660 were active at the end of the month. 54 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
January 2021: 10,003 new cases raising the total number to 33,944 of which 1,214 were active at the end of the month. 147 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
February 2021: 4,901 new cases taking the total number to 38,845 of which 2,160 were active at the end of the month. 72 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
March 2021: 5,294 new cases taking the total number to 44,139 of which 1,768 were active at the end of the month. 99 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
April 2021: 4,515 new cases taking the total number to 48,654 of which 1,688 were active at the end of the month. 119 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
May 2021: 6,895 new cases taking the total number to 55,549 of which 4,044 were active at the end of the month. 187 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
June 2021: 34,368 new cases taking the total number to 89,917 of which 21,066 were active at the end of the month. 691 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
July 2021: 29,368 new cases taking the total number to 119,285 of which 20,628 were active at the end of the month. 1,523 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
August 2021: 5,761 new cases taking the total number to 125,046 of which 2,319 were active at the end of the month. 332 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
September 2021: 2,543 new cases taking the total number to 127,589 of which 1,112 were active at the end of the month. 136 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
October 2021: 1,349 new cases taking the total number to 128,938 of which 746 were active at the end of the month. 43 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
November 2021: 305 new cases taking the total number to 129,243 of which 163 were active at the end of the month. 19 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
December 2021: 18,731 new cases raising the total number to 147,974 of which 13,301 were active at the end of the month. 60 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
January 2022: 7,925 new cases raising the total number to 155,899 of which 6,156 were active at the end of the month. 334 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
February 2022: 1,311 new cases bringing the total number to 157,210 of which 509 were active at the end of the month. 40 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
March 2022: 436 new cases bringing the total number to 157,646 of which 558 were active at the end of the month. Twelve new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
April 2022: 1,165 new cases bringing the total number to 158,811 of which 1,124 were active at the end of the month. Six new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
May 2022: 6,986 new cases bringing the total number to 165,797 of which 2,997 were active at the end of the month. 13 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
June 2022: 3,406 new cases raising the total number to 169,203 of which 393 were active at the end of the month. 26 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
July 2022: 50 new cases raising the total number to 169,253 of which 375 were active at the end of the month. Eight new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
October 2022: 726 new cases bringing the total number to 169,929. 15 new COVID-19 deaths were reported.
December 2022: 366 new cases bringing the total number to 170,295. Two new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
January 2023: 578 new cases bringing the total number to 170,873. Eight new COVID-19 deaths were reported.
February 2023: 283 new cases bringing the total number to 171,156. No new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
March 2023: 66 new cases bringing the total number to 171,222. No new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
April 2023: 117 new cases bringing the total number to 171,339. One new COVID-19 death was recorded.
May 2023: 379 new cases bringing the total number to 171,718. Two new COVID-19 deaths were recorded.
Cases total
As of August 2020, Namibia was within the top 20 number of countries with the most COVID-19 cases reported in Africa.
A total of 166 health care workers tested positive for the virus, increasing the pressure on the health system given that a shortage of health care workers existed even before the pandemic.
Quarantine
On 31 July, the Health Minister announced a small end in quarantine protocols that would account for faster recovery rates. Patients with a positive COVID-19 result will automatically be regarded as recovered 10 days after their infection, given that they do not display symptoms anymore.
Vaccination campaign
Vaccinations started on 19 March 2021, initially with 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine donated by China and 24,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine purchased through COVAX.
References
21st century in Namibia
Namibia