Zambia has recorded its first death from the Coronavirus, with 3 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the number to 39.
Speaking during the COVID-19 press briefing today, Health Minister, Chitalu Chilufya said the victim died around 02 hours this morning. Dr Chilufya, who gave the victim a moment of silence, said that the deceased had an underlying health condition.
Dr. Chilufya said out of the 160 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, the country confirmed Three.
The Minister said the lastest is a couple and a pharmacist. Dr Chilufya said the cases are from secondary contacts, which confirms the human to human transmission.
Dr. Chilufya also warned media houses that keep pursuing suspected COVID -19 patients against violation of the rights to privacy and the risk of exposure to the virus.
Dr Chilufya called on Market Managers to ensure that the measures that have been instituted by the government such as social distance are observed.
The Minister said overcrowding and non-observance of the regulations will lead to the closing of the trading facilities as this is authorized under the Public Health Act and Statutory Instruments 21 and 22.
Meanwhile, Chief Government Spokesperson, Dora Siliya has called on Media personnel to exhibit high levels of professionalism and avoid following persons that are suspected to be suffering from the COVID-19.
Ms Siliya advised Zambians to avoid stigmatizing the COVID-19, urging the media to remain focused and help Government in sensitizing the public on the COVID-19.
She also stressed that it does not pay for anyone to be hiding numbers of the people affected with the disease as Government is worried with the number of cases in the country.
Ms Siliya Siliya, who is also Information and Broadcasting Services, called on everyone to support governments interventions and take responsibility
A sad day for the nation. Rip to this person. We are with the family and friends in this hour of pain. We are here to support you in any way. We hope people will not try and capitalize on the unfortunate death of our brother or sister. As the minister has stated this person had underlying causes and this creates an impossible task to fight off this virus. Our health ministry is doing a tremendous job given the circumstances. We hope our friends in opposition now realise that criticising does not make them win electorate. Now is time to put all their efforts in fighting this virus with us rather than politicking. Kz
This guy cant post anything minus referring to a third party. Is this chap surely okay, the guy is near the corridors of power but always childish. Any wonder why the country is such in a distressful state
It is your Chinese friends who are hiding. MHSIP.
As things stand we are doing a great job. Please people adere to social distancing and any other guidance from government. We don’t want unnecessary spreading of this virus. Do not force us to enforce a full limit on your rights. We believe you are mature enough to understand the scale of the issue we are dealing with here. Kz
Get a life iwe
MHSRIP
And when they offer to help you block them and tell them to go feed their cattle instead…it because of turncoats people like you that Africa is failed continent
Sad day indeed. We just take it to the Lord God in prayer and ask that Him alone can protect us from this deadly evil COVID-19.
Minister Chilufya, this is a time of emergency, we shall have a moment of silence when the disease is completely gone from our land. Otherwise, we shall be observing moments of silence everyday as the worst is yet to come. If Spain was to hold moments of silence for every death, how can they fight the scourge. So lets be strong, encourage each other and lets fight this disease together. Then afterwards we shall properly mourn for any departed souls.
and why is your minister wearing the mask…i Have even forgotten what you said when HH appeared on press conference wearing one…everything is politics….i think you are just here to read people’s moods…the world has really moved, us we are still the stone age village barbaric hatred kind of life…we are a pathetic peolpe
It is honorable for the infected to come out so that the people they were in contact with can take action. Hiding that kampyongo has tested possible wont help us.
I hope that the one who has died is Pakistani
RIP to the departed soul. Who will bury the person and wash the body in preparation for burial? Is it the family or the govt?
Zambia has the facilities and trained personnel to do just that. He or she shall be buried or cremated. Work to educate people Zambians. That is more important than anything else.
What I want to know is why is the minister wearing the N95 mask ,which should be reserved for ER doctors and those treating corona virus patients. If the USA has run out of masks as cases grow exponentially what off poor Zambia. Not even Dr.Fauci is wearing masks.Not even the chinese president Xi Jinping wore the N95. I would advise the minister to show leadership and not be wasteful. Use the normal masks if you have to and reserve those for frontline doctors and nurses.
Shu Shu Shu – When you wish bad things on people it may come back on you, you never know if over the next 6 months you may get the Chinese virus.
The one who has died is a Black male Zambian.
@Truth Hates, it’s a sad day indeed.
But also listen, listen very carefully.
This issue of covid 19 is beyond us, for only at a right time will revelation of its occurrence be understood.
For now it must pass, and it is already living sadness on earth, and will continue, for the time being.
I have heard some men of God revoking it, it may be too ig for them.
As a people let us continue in prayer and remember the sweetness of God and life, and how deeply connected we should always be to Hashem, whether this virus takes u or not.
I do believe that there are people marked by Hashem to outlive this virus, and let us be content with God, in e everything.
When it is over, we will understand.
And also leave those who are using this platform to attack one another, be it…
overly ambitious of a minister – put down that mask and take notice@ex-mona
@Bolingo – they are not specific to what killed the person: coronavirus or other underlying health conditions??
Sad to hear about the loss. We hope the situation gets better from day to day, but we also know that there is little doctors can do to save those with underlying health conditions.
Nine Chale – What was I telling you yesterday and the day before when you were banging on about no deaths.. covid-19 is a very lethal disease which shuts down the body’s organs!
T@rino, it can be lethal but at the same time, we know that it can be contained. That’s the treacherous part. For some reason, people will always tend to focus on the deaths and not on the recoveries.
Nine Chale – You can’t contain it if you have underlying sickness your body’s immunity goes into overdrive and shuts down organs that’s why even the best health services can only do so much as its up to your body. The problem with you is you always want to diverge from your initial point when you started it. In Zambia with prioritizing you would be lucky to be put on a ventilator for two weeks before its removed.
Where is Lazy Lungu…he should be in front of the camera every two days not passing buck to his ministers. After this pandemic passes its Chilufya who will be seen as a leader…Lazy Lungu wake up for once you moron!!
Tarino I see you are back to your old ways. I guess the medication has worn off again
Countrymen and women as we morn the COVID-19 victim we should not forget that they are more citizens and residents dying from malaria, and other tropical diseases including from direct poverty. We should remain focused and not over dramatize COVID-19. Can someone give us statistics of citizens that die everyday and the causes thereof? The over dramatization of COVID – 19 world wide has instilled fear in the Sapiens for now. There are far more people dying from other diseases world wide than the 50,000 lives we have so far lost from COVID – 19. If you go to the UNICEF Website you find that a child dies from malaria, only, every 30 seconds. Meaning 3,000 children, only, – forget grown ups, children only) die from malaria every single day. Meaning 1, 095,000 children die from malaria each…
There is need for more Investments in artificial intelligence (robots) and also accelerated procurement of ultrasound machines that automated and helped Doctors fight COVID 19 in china and US in particular to avert
deaths including ventilators
Then robotic scans at airports as Dr may watch to support the good measures in social distancing
Dr. Chilufya also warned media houses that keep pursuing suspected COVID -19 patients against violation of the rights to privacy and the risk of exposure to the virus.
Have watched CNN, BBC and al Jazeera, have seen patients been taken in and out ambulances, have seen one minister of health from one asian country visit the covid patients, we have watched coffins laid in church and been moved in military vehicles, journalists will always get that info the only thing they should be encouraged on is to make sure they have protective clothing,common we have seen journalists carry only a camera in a war battle.
When the tipping and statistics those countries that flatten the curve. from the a bell curve as seen now and make sure the epdemic doesn’t spiral and cripple the health system
countries that have managed successfully like South Korea have analysed this
Lungu must act like a statesman, lockdown the country even the recruitment of 3400 health workers is nothing and in fact they will be the first casualties. Listen to what people are saying. What type of human being is this man!?