By OLIVER SAMBOKO
THREE Covid-19 positive individuals with a history of travel to South Africa are admitted to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) where doctors are investigating whether they are infected with the new variant.
Health Minister Sylvia Masebo explained in parliament yesterday that the three who were first admitted to UTH after presenting with fever and high temperature and later found with Covid 19, are being investigated for the new variant.
She also explained that the demand for Covid 19 vaccines by the public has risen following re-launching of the Covid fight.
Ms Masebo disclosed that Livingstone has already run out of the vaccines but that the officers in the Ministry of Health have been instructed to immediately move in to restock.
She observed that the demand for Johnson Johnson vaccine is higher than other vaccines but advised the public to take any available type as all the vaccines provided by the government are safe.
And giving a ministerial statement to update the August House and the nation at large, on the Covid situation in the country, Ms Masebo said the country is currently experiencing a low transmission of Covid-19 cases with a consistent test positivity of less than 1% for the past three months.
She also said the country is under threat from the new Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Ms Masebo said the government attaches great importance to matters of health, particularly delivery of primary health care aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage and assuring Public Health Security.
She said this is the reason that the New Dawn Government continues to advocate for the prevention and control of Covid-19 including continuous adherence to the prescribed public health measures and vaccination against Covid-19 while providing quality healthcare services.
Ms Masebo said although Covid-19 new cases have subsided, a fourth wave is anticipated towards the end of the year due to various reasons such as similar trends observed previously in the country and elsewhere.
She said the announcement of the Omicron variant has caused concern globally, leading to some countries putting up travel restrictions.
Ms Masebo said the response to the Covid-19 pandemic remains multisectoral and aligned to the Covid-19 National Multi-sectoral Contingency Preparedness and response plan.
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