People line up to get COVID-19 tests at a testing site in Windhoek, Namibia, June 11, 2021. Namibia on Thursday recorded 1,045 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the coronavirus was reported in March last year, said Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula. Photo: Xinhua

 

People line up to get COVID-19 tests at a testing site in Windhoek, Namibia, June 11, 2021. Namibia on Thursday recorded 1,045 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the coronavirus was reported in March last year, said Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula. Photo: Xinhua

 

People line up to get COVID-19 tests at a testing site in Windhoek, Namibia, June 11, 2021. Namibia on Thursday recorded 1,045 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the coronavirus was reported in March last year, said Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula. Photo: Xinhua

 
The Namibian government on Friday took an urgent decision to step up preventive measures after a spike in both new COVID-19 cases and related fatality rate in the last three weeks.

New space will be created, more staff hired, and additional oxygen acquired to handle the rising number of COVID-19 patients that have overwhelmed hospitals, according to a government circular.

Minister of Information and Communication Technology and cabinet spokesperson Peya Mushelenga said the government has approved an urgent plan to provide more help to state hospitals fighting the pandemic.

Health minister Kalumbi Shangula said the country's confirmed daily new cases reached a record 1,045 on Thursday night.

Total confirmed cases now stood at 61,374 and number of related deaths at 968, as the country faces what Shangula described as its worst challenge from COVID-19.