HEAD of Risk Communication for the National COVID-19 Secretariat (NACOSEC), Baroane Phenethi has applauded the Qacha’s Nek district for being one of the best coordinated districts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
health
March 23, 2021
LINEO MABEKEBEKE
3 min read
Qacha’s Nek leads the fight against COVID-19
He said no one can make informed decisions without being provided with appropriate information, adding: “We must dismiss misinformation through social media and we need to ensure that everyone accesses correct information about the disease”.
This Mr Phenethi revealed at the COVID-19 campaign that was held in Qacha’s Nek on March, 18.
The campaign was aimed at educating the public on the key infection prevention and control measures through the Humanitarian response to vulnerable and stranded migrants in Southern Africa region project, which supports NACOSEC / District COVID-19 Secretariat (DISCOSEC) risk communication sensitisation in the form of mobile van campaigns.
In her remarks, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) representative in Lesotho ’Mabaruti Motsamai said the IOM is working in collaboration with the district leadership structures under the guidance of the NACOSEC to bring COVID-19 messaging closer to the people.
Residents of Qacha’s Nek, she said must always remember that COVID-19 is real and ensure that they are empowered to obtain more information.
Ms Motsamai also urged the residents to report whenever they do not feel well and to feel free to test for COVID-19 without fear of stigma and discrimination.
Commenting on the national statistics in respect of the pandemic, the Qacha’s Nek District Medical Doctor, Dr Balengesila Mwenyi Panzi said it is better to know that every district has different figures and its own experience of the pandemic.
Overall, he noted that the impact of the disease in Qacha’s Nek has been less severe than everywhere else in the country.
“To date, out of the 6 411 people tested in the district, 411 recovered and 23 patients died due to the viral infection. Indeed, in the past weeks, the numbers decreased compared to when we first encountered the pandemic, probably due to the lockdown, but the pandemic is far from being over,” Dr Mwenyi Panzi noted.
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For his part, the Qacha’s Nek District Administrator Mantsi Tseane extended his gratitude to IOM for its support in ensuring that 60 vulnerable youth and migrants from the district were earmarked to attend a skills training workshop to manufacture among other things, sanitizers, and cosmetics.
As a COVID-19 survivor himself, Mr Tseane said, he was aware how difficult it was for other people to approach him during his weakest point, highlighting that at a time of illness, people require support and love.
In view of the possibility of a third wave of the pandemic, he expressed his commitment to strengthening prevention messaging through the DISCOSEC.
Furthermore, he said Qacha’s Nek is ready to provide correct messaging to the communities about the vaccine.
IOM has been implementing a regional project funded by the UK-Aid titled “Humanitarian response to vulnerable and stranded migrants in Southern Africa region’’ as part of the COVID-19 response.
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