By NATION REPORTER
ABOUT 228, 000 additional doses of AstraZeneca are today expected in the country via Kenneth Kaunda İnternational Airport.
Government has thanked the French government for the donation of the vaccines to the COVAX facility under which Zambia had accessed the expected doses. Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary – Technical Services, Dr Kennedy Malama, said Zambia was indebted to the COVAX facility for the support.
Dr Malama meanwhile said that 46 people have died of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the lowest number so far in the past two weeks.
“The breakdown of the new deaths by province is as follows: Lusaka 14; Copperbelt 11; Southern 7; Eastern 6; Muchinga 2; Northern 2; North-Western 2; Luapula 1, and Western 1. The cumulative number of Covid-19 related deaths recorded to date now stands at 2, 443,” he said.
Dr Malama said the country recorded 1,795 new Covid-19 cases out of 7, 531 tests conducted, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 164, 282.
He said a comparative analysis of the last two weeks showed a reduction in the overall number of new cases recorded
Dr Malama said “15, 714 cases this week compared to 19, 535 the previous week. It is, however, too early to tell as yet if the worst is behind us.”
He said the overall positivity for the week also dropped from 26 percent the previous week to 24 percent.
said the country lost 421 people to Covid-19 in the last one week compared to 378 the previous week.
He said the last two days had seen some reduction in daily admissions and deaths. Dr Malama however said to sustain the reduction, it was imperative to address the root causes including rampant community transmission.
He said there was need to take the fight to the community with a unity of purpose and using a multisectoral approach anchored on the existing community structures.
“We note with immense disappointment the nightclubs and bars which were found open in Lusaka and other parts of the country. We have taken the step to revoke the licences of business premises found abrogating the provided guidelines under which to operate,” he said.
Dr Malama said all the directives which were in place to fight Covid-19 were not meant to be punitive but a means to stem Covid -19 transmission.
