By OLIVER SAMBOKO
THE country should come up with more strict preventive measures at Airports and borders to stop the spread of the second strain of the coronavirus, Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) Director-General Dr Quince Mwabu has advised.
He said while it’s not advisable to close the borders and Airports to stop people from countries heavily affected by the second wave of COVID19, because that would impact negatively on the economy, the country should heighten coronavirus screening at all points of entry.
Mr Mwabu said in an interview, if not well managed, the new strain of COVID19 could fast spread to all parts of the country and cause havoc to the health sector which he said was not well positioned to manage a large scale outbreak.
He encouraged Zambians to follow the health measures put in place to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 .These include wearing of face masks, social distancing, washing of hands and avoiding crowds.
Dr Mwabu also called on the Ministry of Health to increase the number of tests per day in order to know the full extent of the COVID19 cases in the country.
“The new strain is very infectious and could spread to all corners of the country if no proper measures are put in place Government,” he warned.
Dr Mwabu said already there are reports that the neighboring Zimbabwe has recorded an increase in the number of infections following an increase in the number of people who are returning from South Africa out of fear of contracting the new strain COVID19 in that country.
He said this could also affect Zambia especially that it was a gate way to other African countries northward.
Recently, Minister of Health Dr.Chitalu Chilufya disclosed an increase in the number of new strain of Covid19 which is accompanied by an increase in the severity of the disease requiring hospitalization and oxygen therapy.
Meanwhile the country has in the past 24 hours, recorded 233 new cases of COVID 19, out of 7,266 tests. Two deaths have also been recorded in Kalomo and Kitwe.
