WE hope those Zambians who have been sceptical about being vaccinated against Covid-19 will now realise the seriousness of the pandemic that has ravaged the world.
The news from around the world is not encouraging as the situation continues to worsen, with some countries introducing stringent measures stopping short of a complete lockdown.
In Zambia, health authorities have been encouraging citizens to ensure that they get vaccinated in the wake of the fourth wave that is now in our midst.
The Minister of Health, Ms Sylvia Masebo on Monday reported that the country has continued to see a spike in new Covid-19 cases since the Omicron variant was detected with 16, 612 cases recorded in the past one week.
What was clearly noted, Ms. Masebo said, was that the government has noticed that the admissions being recorded are amongst the unvaccinated people and those with underlying conditions.
Ever since Covid-19 vaccinations started, not only in Zambia but elsewhere, the core message has been that getting the jab reduces the risk of one being infected.
Even though the government was aware of the impending seriousness of the forth wave, it was left to individuals to decide on their own to be vaccinated.
The government could not have forced citizens to be vaccinated against their will because the idea could have been misunderstood and defeated the whole purpose of the anti Covid-19 preventive measures.
But the figures that Ms Masebo released during the Covid-19 update on Monday prove that the warnings from the health authorities were not meant to alarm the public, but were based on science.
That the country recorded 460 new admissions and 23 deaths in the last one week is cause for concern that the citizens must be on their guard against Covid-19.
As Ms Masebo noted, it is worrying that the country has seen a sharp increase in the Covid-19 positivity rate which increased from 11 percent to 25 percent in the last one week.
She said the country recorded 1, 356 new cases of Covid-19 and seven deaths in the last 24 hours. The seven deaths were recorded from unvaccinated people between the ages of 23 to 90 years.
The cases will definitely rise unless people realise the seriousness of the pandemic and get not only vaccinated by observing the five golden rules of Covid-19 adherence.
When Zambians read about other countries being overwhelmed by Covid-19 cases being driven by the Omicron variant, they should not think they are safe here because it knows no borders.
Those who have not been vaccinated must realise that they are the most vulnerable to being infected. Moreover, health experts warn that unvaccinated populations increase the risk of new variants emerging.
For now, our advice is to those who are fully vaccinated to ensure that they go for the booster as a double protection.
That children are now at risk of being infected should be wake-up call to apply the Covid-19 preventive measures more earnestly.
Ms Masebo disclosed that there has been an increase in the number of children testing positive for Covid-19.
It is heartening however that the country has started vaccinating children between the age of 12 and 18 years. With schools due to re-open in the next two weeks, we implore parents and guardians to ensure more children in this age group are vaccinated.
The bottom line is that Covid-19 is real and must not be treated as a laughing matter.
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