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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and harsh lockdown regulations have impacted the wellbeing of the youth globally. The pandemic has also caused significant mortality and morbidity, creating daunting health and socio-economic challenges. The restrictive measures that have been put in place by many countries to contain the spread of the virus negatively affected the livelihood of youth. Namibia was equally impacted by the pandemic. The country introduced preventative measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, ranging from closure of social spaces, schools, recreational facilities, businesses, among others. These had unintended consequences on the livelihood of youth and their families. The main objective of the chapter is to better understand the impact of young people's chronic exposure to joblessness, violence, education disruptions on their wellbeing. Specifically, the chapter examines the extent to which protective measures influenced changes in violence, access to sexual and reproductive health as well as land and housing. The study utilized a desk review, relying on secondary data and policy documents. The findings indicated that retaining contact with friends and pursuing leisure activities are key to the wellbeing of young people. In addition, financial worries emanating from job losses and low economic acitivities also exacerbated young people's livelihood. Furthermore, having the youth and adults at home all day long, resulting from closing of schools and workplaces, increased family conflicts and violence. Consequently, victims of domestic violence were unable to access places of safety and other psychosocial support services. The study further indicated that the implementation of e-learning was threatened by the lack of ICT infrastructure and the capacity of teachers and learners to access and use e-learning platforms. Moreover, the youth indicated that they felt isolated and lacked motivation which is usually derived from interaction with their peers. The chapter therefore, recommends the creation of targeted youth interventions including employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, poverty reduction programs, as well as investment in ICT infrastructure and training. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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The outbreak of the corona virus in December 2019 brought panic not only in China and the European continent where it was most pronounced when it started, but worldwide. In Africa, the cases of the virus increased significantly since February 2020. The evolution of the disease and its economic impact is, however, uncertain, making it difficult for policymakers to formulate an appropriate macroeconomic policy response. The immediate responses that countries adopted were lockdown "stay at home” measures, aiming to avoid movement of people since the virus was believed to spread through contact with infected persons. The lockdowns also had their own economic impacts as they put a halt to most economic activities and operations, with an exception of essential services. In this chapter, we estimated the economic impact of the virus on the Namibian economy. The findings are that an estimated 3-5 billion Namibia dollars has been lost in GDP owing to the impact of the lockdown measures to the various branches in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. Due to loss of income, business trading hours and jobs, a loss of private demand of N$6 billion to N$12 billion was estimated for Namibia. This loss returns the country's private consumption to the level it was 4-5 years back. Although the government has already started implementing the fiscal stimulus aimed to cushion the impact of the pandemic, this chapter established that the income-grant designated for the unemployed and lost income is far lower than the lost income due to the lockdown. Among the proposed policy recommendations is the need to allow the informal sector to operate under specified conditions in an effort to ensure that not so much is lost in the informal sector to which the government may need to again issue fiscal stimulus monies in an already limited fiscal space. Another policy proposal is to draw up a post recovery strategy dealing with the most affected sectors of the economy. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.
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Background: COVID-19, a global pandemic, has disrupted pharmacy education in Africa, due to unpreparedness to migrate to online Learning. Aim(s): To assess outcomes and challenges facing migration to online pharmacy education. Method(s): An evaluation of implementation of online learning in the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme in Namibia using key informant feedback. The outcomes were outputs and challenges facing migration to online learning, and its impact on pass rates and scores. Result(s): The pooled mean score was higher in 2020 (66.2%), compared to 2019 (63.4%) and 2018 (62.1%), (p=0.076). A variety of platforms were used as alternatives or supplements to Moodle. The main challenges included inequalities in internet connectivity, monitoring and quality assurance, implementation of experiential learning, and reliability of online assessment. Conclusion(s): Whilst migration to online learning did not impact on pass rates, there is need for policies and systems to address programmatic challenges to eliminate inequalities in online pharmacy education.Copyright © 2020 FIP.
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Fear appeals are persuasive messages that attempt to arouse fear to motivate or influence behaviour change and are widely used in health promotion. This chapter analyses how fear appeal messaging was used by the Namibian and South African mainstream print media to communicate COVID-19 during the two countries' main waves of the pandemic. Specifically, we examine the framing strategies that the media used to persuade behaviour change. Mainstream media has enormous potential to influence health-related behaviour and perceptions. Therefore, it is compelling to examine the mainstream media's framing of COVID-19. This study draws on framing theory to examine media frames and the use of fear appeal in the coverage of COVID-19 in the top English-language newspapers in the two countries. We argue in this chapter that using fear appeals in public health communication by the media may be counterproductive as a tool of persuasion. © 2022 by Sarah Chiumbu, Nkosinothando Mpofu and Konosoang Sobane.
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Due to the heterogeneity among households across locations, predicting the impacts of stay-at-home mitigation and lockdown strategies for COVID-19 control is crucial. In this study, we quantitatively assessed the effects of the Namibia government's lockdown control measures on food insecurity in urban informal settlements with a focus on Windhoek, Namibia. We developed three types of conditional regression models to predict food insecurity prevalence (FIP) scenarios incorporating household frequency of food purchase (FFP) as the impacting factor, based on the Hungry Cities Food Matrix. Empirical data were derived from the 2017 African Food Security Urban Network (AFSUN) Windhoek study and applied univariate probit and bivariate partial observability models to postulate the relation between food insecurity and FFP within the context of stay-at-home disease mitigation strategy. The findings showed that FFP was positively correlated with the prevalence of food insecurity (r = 0.057, 95% CI: 0.0394, 0.085). Daily purchases portrayed a survivalist behaviour and were associated with increased food insecurity (coeff = 0.076, p = 0.05). Only those who were purchasing food twice monthly were significantly associated with reduced food insecurity (coeff = −0.201, p = 0.001). Those households in informal settlements were severely impacted by food insecurity (coeff = 0.909, p-value = 0.007). We conclude that public health compliance should precede with cash or food support to poor households in balance with the need for long-term placement of control measures to fully contain COVID-19 or related infectious diseases. © 2023 by the authors.
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ABET is the worldwide leader in accrediting pro-grams in computing, engineering, applied and natural sciences, and engineering technology. Only four of 54 countries in Africa have programmes which achieved ABET accreditation. During COVID-19 and in times of intense competition, it has become especially important for institutions to distinguish their programs as having high quality. Using the University of Namibia's Bachelor of Science in Computer Science as a case study, we use a systematic methodology to evaluate and analyse the programme in a detailed, step-by-step, easy-to-understand manner. We evaluate this program with respect to ABET's General Criteria and then examine how well it does against ABET's Program Criteria in computer science. Our aim is to pinpoint shortcomings and solutions. The results for the selected program, despite ticking positives for a number of criterion, show the need for considerable work to meet ABET accreditation. Our research stands to inspire university programs in Africa to strive for ABET accreditation as a way of distinguishing themselves. © 2022 IEEE.
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Mobile learning has become a critical aspect of online learning in the post-pandemic era. As a result, practitioners and policymakers have paid increasing attention to mobile learning acceptance among various stakeholders. However, there is a vacuity of literature on mobile learning acceptance in developing countries, particularly in the African context. This study sought to examine the determinants of mobile learning acceptance among undergraduates in higher educational institutions using a structural equation modelling approach. Data were collected through a web survey distributed to 415 undergraduate students in Namibia. The majority of the UTAUT relationships were confirmed, although some were not supported. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between performance expectancy and hedonic motivation. Hence, hedonic motivation mediates the relationship between performance expectancy and behavioural intention to use mobile learning in Namibia. The results of this study may help to inform mobile learning implementation efforts, particularly in the post-pandemic period.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to suspension of pharmacy education in resource-limited settings, negatively impacting pharmaceutical workforce outputs. Aim(s): To identify the elements of a COVID-19 resilient pharmacy education programme in Namibia and its grassroots impact on the pharmaceutical workforce and systems strengthening. Method(s): An evaluation of COVID-19 resilience of the Diploma in Pharmacy programme in Namibia. Data on elements for resilience and outcomes were collected;qualitative and quantitative data were analysed descriptively. Result(s): The evaluation identified ten key elements for successful implementation of a COVID-19 resilient pharmacy education programme. The integration of quality improvement projects in the workplace strengthened pharmaceutical systems and workforce capacity in areas of rational medicine use and supply management of medicines. Conclusion(s): Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted pharmacy education, this paper presents ten elements that, when implemented, may improve the resilience and minimise unforeseen academic interruptions during pandemics. Copyright © 2020 FIP.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequitable access to medicines in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly due to limited capabilities for local manufacture. Aim(s): To describe priority medicine lists and critical skill sets required for an emergency compounding of COVID-19 medicines training programme. Method(s): An evaluation of the COVID-19 emergency compounding readiness programme for the University of Namibia pharmacy graduates. The main outcomes were enhanced skill sets in compounding, quality control, and regulation of priority COVID-19 medicines. Data on outcomes were thematically analysed. Result(s): Fifty-eight pharmacy graduates demonstrated competence in emergency compounding, quality control, regulation, and provision of therapeutic information of COVID-19 medicines. A priority list and a skills set for emergency compounding of COVID-19 medicines were developed. Conclusion(s): The upskilling of pharmacy graduates on emergency compounding of COVID-19 medicines has the potential to address inequalities in the rapid response and control of epidemics. Copyright © 2020 FIP.
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The pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has focused the attention of researchers, and especially public opinion, on the role of the human-animal-environment interface in disease emergence. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, media reports regarding the role of pets in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused significant concern and social anxiety. Although nowadays proven negligible in developed countries, essentially no studies have been performed in low-income African areas where companion animals are often raised differently from high income countries, and the contact patterns occurring in these scenarios could affect the epidemiological scenario. An extensive molecular biology survey was performed from March 2022 to September 2022 on Namibian dogs residing in urban and rural areas, showing a low but not negligible SARS-CoV-2 prevalence (1%; 95CI: 0.33-2.32%) of 5 out of 500. In only one instance (i.e., a 4-year-old female Labrador) was there a clear association that could be established between the infections of the owner and animal. In all other cases, no evidence of human infection could be obtained and no episodes of COVID-19 were reported by the owners. Although no consistent evidence of pet-to-pet transmission was proven in the present study, a cautionary principle suggests intensive and dedicated investigation into companion animal populations, especially when animal contact is frequent and a particularly susceptible population is present.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with funding from the US President's Plan for Emergency Relief, implements a virtual model for clinical mentorship, Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), worldwide to connect multidisciplinary teams of healthcare workers (HCWs) with specialists to build capacity to respond to the HIV epidemic. The emergence of and quick evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic created the need and opportunity for the use of the Project ECHO model to help address the knowledge requirements of HCW responding to COVID-19 while maintaining HCW safety through social distancing. We describe the implementation experiences of Project ECHO in 5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs as part of their COVID-19 response, in which existing platforms were used to rapidly disseminate relevant, up-to-date COVID-19-related clinical information to a large, multidisciplinary audience of stakeholders within their healthcare systems.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , COVID-19 , HIV Infections , Humans , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/drug therapy , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics/prevention & control , International Cooperation , HIV Infections/epidemiology , HIV Infections/prevention & control , HIV Infections/drug therapyABSTRACT
Multiple financial institutions are struggling to survive in the current business environment, due to the challenges that arose due to outbreak of COVID 19 and subsequent economic contraction in Namibia. The outbreak of war in Ukraine where Russia is attacking Ukraine has made the business operating environment more challenging in Namibia. The contemporary economic challenges require different types of leadership that are able to accurately assess the business environment, and then initiate innovative and creative approaches to addressing them. This research was motivated by the need to explore a leadership style that would be able to help banks to cope with the harsh business environment and also to suggest innovative approaches and strategies that could lead to profitability and competitiveness of the banking sector in Namibia. The study employed a quantitative research approach to analyse the relationship between leadership style and bank profitability and competitiveness. Four branches were selected in Namibia from two regions, to take part in the study, with a population of 164 employees and management. A sample size that represented more than 60% of the population was selected utilizing, using a stratified sampling method. The data analyses were done usingKruskal Wallis Test and the Mann-Whitney Test, as well as the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis.The findings of the study demonstrated that bank profitability and competitiveness in Namibia was linked to leadership styles such as transformational leadership and authentic leadership. The study also noted that organizational style can improve by embracing transformational and authentic leadership style. The study recommended that financial institutions must invest more in developing leadership styles that can lead to more productivity and profitability.
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Background: Oral anticoagulation therapy with warfarin requires frequent monitoring level of anticoagulation by the international normalized ratio (INR). Aim(s): Therefore, this systematic review aimed to systematically summarize anticoagulation control, treatment outcomes, and associated factors in long-term patients receiving warfarin in Africa. Method(s): The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, African Journal of Online databases, Google Scholar, and Google. An advanced search strategy was computed to retrieve relevant studies related to anticoagulation control and outcomes. Duplication, title and screening, and full-text assessment were conducted in Covidence software. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical appraisal quality assessment tool. The systematic review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021260772) and performed based on the PRISMA guideline. Result(s): Out of 298 identified articles, 18 articles were eligible for the final review and analysis. The mean of 39.4 +/- 8.4% time in therapeutic range (TTR) (29.4% to 57.3%), 36.7 +/- 11.5% TTR (range 25.2-49.7%) and 46% TTR (43.5-48.5 %) was computed from studies that determined TTR by Rosendaal, direct and cross-section- of- the- files methods, respectively. The lowest percentage of TTR was 13.7%, while the highest was 57.3% was observed in this review. The highest percentage of patients (32.25%) who had TTR >= 65% was reported in Tunisia, but the lowest percentages were in Namibia (10%, TTR >= 65%) and Kenya (10.4%, TTR >= 70%). Generally, 10.4-32.3% of study participants achieved desired optimal anticoagulation level. Regarding secondary outcomes, 1.6-7.5% and 0.006-59% of patients experienced thromboembolic complications and bleeding events, respectively. The presence of chronic comorbidities, taking more than two drugs, and presence of medications that potentially interact with warfarin was the frequently reported predictors of poor anticoagulation therapy. Conclusion(s): Oral anticoagulation control was suboptimal in patients taking warfarin as evidenced by low TTR in Africa. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further improving oral anticoagulation management service.
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Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a critical public health concern, demanding for global coordinated efforts. While nursing students form part of a healthcare team with significant roles in identifying and responding to abused victims, studies assessing their readiness to combat GBV are limited in Namibia. Aim: To assess undergraduate nursing students' perceptions and to determine the relationship of the study variables to readiness to combat GBV during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Namibia. Setting: This study was conducted at a university satellite campus in Namibia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 105 third and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students using ADKAR model. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 27.0, for descriptive statistics and logistic regression in determining relationships between study variables. Results: The study results show a mean readiness of 1.65 ± 0.19. Most respondents perceived themselves ready (73.3%), whereas 26.7% were not. Readiness was common with reinforcement (89.5%) and awareness (84.8%), knowledge (81.9%) and desire (76.2%) subscales. Predictors of readiness in this study were gender and age (R 2 = 0.40; R 2 = 0.37; p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study highlight that age and gender were significant predictors for readiness among the undergraduate students in Namibia. The results highlight the importance of GBV education in a nursing curriculum. A qualitative design is recommended for future studies. Contribution: The results of this study will support global efforts in strengthening the health system response on GBV incidences.
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Imtiaz S, Nafeh F, Russell C, Ali F, Elton-Marshall T, Rehm J. The impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on drug overdose-related deaths in the United States and Canada: a systematic review of observational studies and analysis of public health surveillance data. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2021;16(1):87. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-021-00423-5 Monitoring PopulationLevel Physical Activity in Adolescents and Adults Namibia Nashandi et al. validated a selfreport questionnaire by comparing it to an accurate device-based method to assess moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls (n = 52) and women (n = 51) in Namibia. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1750. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-1 1765-x Automated Syndromic Surveillance in Communities Taiwan Chan et al. describe a surveillance system to serve as a sentinel for infectious disease outbreaks in Taipei City, Taiwan, using data from primary care clinics and community hospitals and incorporating spatiotemporal information.
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The SARS-CoV-2 infections continue to increase in Namibia and globally. Assessing and mapping the COVID-19 risk zones and modeling the response of COVID-19 using different scenarios are very vital to help decision-makers to estimate the immediate number of resources needed and plan for future interventions of COVID-19 in the area of interest. This study is aimed to identify and map COVID-19 risk zones and to model future COVID-19 response of Namibia using geospatial technologies. Population density, current COVID-19 infections, and spatial interaction index were used as proxy data to identify the different COVID-19 risk zones of Namibia. COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics (CHIME) V1.1.5 tool was used to model future COVID-19 responses with mobility restrictions. Weights were assigned for each thematic layer and thematic layer classes using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) tool. Suitably ArcGIS overlay analysis was conducted to produce risk zones. Current COVID-19 infection and spatial mobility index were found to be the dominant and sensitive factors for risk zoning in Namibia. Six different COVID-19 risk zones were identified in the study area, namely highest, higher, high, low, lower, and lowest. Modeling result revealed that mobility reduction by 30% within the country had a notable effect on controlling COVID-19 spread: a flattening of the peak number of cases and delay to the peak number. The research output could help policy-makers to estimate the immediate number of resources needed and plan for future interventions of COVID-19 in Namibia, especially to assess the potential positive effects of mobility restriction.
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Africa and in particular sub-Saharan Africa has experienced global expansion for more than a decade, remained resilient through the global economic recession from 2008 to 2010, and now the COVID19 (coronavirus) pandemic has changed the way we live on a daily basis. One unique group of individuals who have withstand these challenges against all odds are women. This chapter highlights women entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa with specific emphasis on Namibian women using in-depth interviews of 20 Namibian women from the Oshiwambo, Nama, Herero, San and Himba tribes. This chapter aims to pin the challenges women entrepreneurs face when setting up their businesses in the Republic of Namibia. In addition, the similarities and differences between these women will be unpack (notable reference will be made with regard to education and also role models), by also drawing from the experiences of other women in the country. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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This study was undertaken to: (i) comprehend the observers' perceptions of COVID-19 and identify its impacts on the observation of harvesting, handling, and processing of marine resources, and biological data collection during commercial fishing, (ii) assess the risk of contracting COVID-19 onboard the fishing vessels, (iii) compare fishery catches for the pre-COVID-19 (2018 and 2019) and COVID-19 (2020 and 2021) years, and (iv) suggest possible ways to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the activities of at sea-observations and data collection. Thus, 45 Namibian fisheries observers were interviewed by telephone to capture their perceptions of COVID-19 on the sea-observations and biological data collection. Messrooms were the riskiest places (45.7%) onboard the fishing vessel where observers perceived likely to contract COVID-19. For at-sea observations, 57.1% of the respondents felt that COVID-19 has negatively impacted observations as fisheries observers were risk-averse, especially in the processing factories. Half of the participants purported a negative impact on the collection of biological data, as on some vessels fisheries observers were not permitted to sample the fish supposedly for fear of cross-contamination. Analysis of fisheries observation data and fisheries catch data showed a significant difference in the total number of fishing trips made between 2018 and 2021 (X 2 = 145 . 34 , df = 3, p < 0.05), with a notable reduction in 2020 fishing trips. Similarly, the number of observed fishing trips between 2018 and 2021 differed significantly (X 2 = 136 . 80 , df = 3, p < 0.05). Fishing catches were lowest in 2020, possibly reflecting severe impacts of COVID-19 in that year. Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on at-sea observation and data collection can inform decision makers to improve management of marine resources during COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study can also serve as a lesson for nations that use observer data for stock assessment.
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This paper is all about the impact and aftermath of corona virus (COVID-19) on Southern African Development Community (SADC) consumers. Major impacts as well as aftermath of COVID-19 were criticized and analyzed thoroughly to give more clarity. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research designs, and the study was a descriptive research of a survey kind of. The targeted population was SADC consumers. The sample size of 200 consumers was taken from Namibia and South Africa only among other SADC countries. Questionnaires were drafted distributed and handed to respondents. Primary data was collected by the means of interviews as well as structured questionnaires, while Secondary data was collected from journals and by the use of internet. Data were analyzed and finally presented in a form of tables and pie charts. The two hypotheses (Null and Alternative) testing were identified, which led to the explanation of the phenomena. The study concluded that coronavirus is still affecting SADC consumers but anyway it is a worldwide pandemic and therefore no one knows when it will end. It was difficult for one to determine the exact outcomes of the aftermath of corona virus as it was still skyrocketing.