Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia records 2 new COVID-19 cases out of 355 tests in the last 24 hours

Share

Zambia has recorded 2 more COVID-19 cases out of 355 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, Health Minister Dr. Chitalu Chilufya has said.

He said the two cases involve a truck driver who was transiting from Daresalam to the Copperbelt while the second case is from a Lusaka based man of Lusaka West.

Speaking at the latest COVID-19 update, Dr. Chilufya, however, said 12 recoveries have been recorded, 5 among them being health workers.

He said cumulatively cases now stands at 97, 54 recoveries, 3 deaths, and 40 active cases.

And Dr. Chilufya has expressed concern with the continued politicking of the Coronavirus pandemic by some politicians who want to gain political mileage out of the pandemic.

“Together we shall win the war but I should send an alarm that this is not the time to play politics.COVID-19 knows no politics and should therefore not be politicized” he said and called on all opposition political leaders to work together.

Meanwhile, Dr. Chilufya has disclosed that a total amount of 1,054,000 Kwacha has so far been raised from monetary donations as of this week apart from other donations that are non-monetary.

He said it is unfortunate that some people are peddling falsehoods on the utilization of donated funds and assured that every penny has been accounted for and will be used accordingly and will trickle down to the community.

He explained that all donated items whether monetary or in-kind are well accounted for and deposited in the ministry’s account which already had 51 million contingency funds as decreed by President Edgar Lungu.

He said the ministry remains transparent and will not drain out energies to engage in negative talk but will focus on addressing the issue at hand.

“Our records are up to date and every penny has been accounted for as we work together to make sure there is no room for any pilferage” he assured.

On the mass screening, Dr. Chilufya said Madras, as well as Kamwala, will continue to be screened before the exercise extends to other places and announced that the government has dispatched a technical team to Nakonde to enhance surveillance and cross border control.

“We will soon reach the plateau and start going down and let’s remain hopeful as we adhere to all the measures put in place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vision Ambassadors have donated 10,000 worth of face mask towards the fight and joined several other well-wishers including the Anglican church which donated various items such as hand washing buckets, sanitizers, and face masks amounting to 260,000 kwacha.

20 COMMENTS

  1. He said it is no secret that the civil service is riddled with highly incompetent PF cadres.

    “Those are undoubtedly going. It is also not a secret that the civil service is not a reflection of the diversity of our country. It must be balanced by various tribes, youth, gender & other groups.
    HH 2020 .

    8
    1
  2. Hon Chitalu Chilufya you are doing well. No wonder the UPND are promoting falsehoods against your government. They are sensing defeat. This is an hour of crisis and you with your health staff and His Excellency have shown leadership.

    10
    14
  3. He has K1 million has been donated this week but doesnt give how much is actually in the account…why are people even donating cash when there is already a contingency fund…please dont give them cash.

    8
    3
  4. “We will soon reach the plateau and start going down..”. Now that’s the statement I’ve been longing for and I hope it can be verified soon.

    Otherwise, let’s not fall into a wrong feeling of security. These truck drivers are a source of concern. They need to be intercepted at the borders before they even enter the country. Kenya and Uganda are doing that since they realized how exponentially the cases amongst truck drivers rose in the previous weeks. Let’s learn from our neighbours and keep our numbers below 100 if we can. All the best!

  5. Nine Chale.

    You are right, the numbers are still below 100.

    That must be comforting for you.

    You have great leaders telling you how things are on the ground.

    10
    2
  6. Where is the USD 500,000 plus donation from Barrick Gold Corporation? At the current rate of K18.60 to a US Dollar that is nearly K100,000,000 but we can only Account for a million only. The problem and trouble with PF is they don’t want to be asked questions. They are allergic to even constructive criticism! It’s not politicking to ask you questions or to criticize you as a public figure! We responsible citizens who wish to remain APolitical will not stop asking questions. To be Accountable means to be ready to give Account when questions are asked. If you know you’re doing things right, why complain?

    7
    2
  7. No deaths recorded. We thank God for this. I am sure tarino is angry as to why no lives have been lost. I have not seen tarino, we hope the silly frog has not caught Corona

    5
    12
  8. @IndigoTyrol of course I feel somehow comforted. Especially when I compare the situation here. Where I live, the city has a population half as big as Lusaka and we already have 1600 cases and 54 deaths.

    6
    2
  9. COVID-19 isn’t as easy as buying a UPND councilor, please take care. Not even Chilufya is safe. Lusaka is the epicentre and it records the lower temperatures. Fore-warned is fore-armed. Not even Bowman is safe. We don’t want an explosion, please take care on your own.

  10. The Ministry of Finance had a glance at how COVID-19 donations were being handled. The minister got concerned. And so, would I. Who wouldn’t be worried? The Ministry of Health claimed that it was receiving huge donations to fight COVID-19. Basic common sense tells you that the Ministry of Health has no role in “receiving” donations of this kind, except on behalf of the national treasury. It should be the duty of the Minister of Finance, to hold the national purse. And, any money donated to the government of the Republic of Zambia must be accounted for by the one who holds the purse (Elias Munshya). Why is MOH still receiving donations? Is that Account Legally sanctioned by MOF? It could explain why MOH is being Defensive by alleging politics!

    4
    1
  11. Lusaka, Zambia – Barrick Gold Corporation’s country manager for Zambia, Nathan Chishimba, today handed a cheque for $530,000 to Minister of Health Hon Dr Chitalu Chilufya, Minister of Mines & Mineral Development Hon Richard Musukwa and Provincial Minister Hon Nathaniel Mubukwanu. The donation is designed to support the country in combating and containing the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Where has this money gone?

    4
    1
  12. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) set common rules so that financial statements can be consistent, transparent and comparable around the world. …
    The Financial Report from the MOH Minister leaves much do be desired as it does not give the minimum information needed when accounting for donated public funds. This is woefully suspicious to the trained eyes!

    3
    1
  13. Nine Chale – How can you reach a plateau when you still have people coming in and out of the country, started mass screening yesterday and the data is all over the place…you are really gullible or as you say in German – fügsam

    2
    1
  14. @Seanmac I would say “screening” is the general process to identify possible cases in a group (based on symptoms and/or exposure ) and “testing” is what follows after isloating the suspected cases.

  15. Stage managed figures and nothing to celebrate about here. This is ridiculous, more like propagandist type of behavior.

    4
    1
  16. Ba Chilufya, mulebomba mukwai. 12 recoveries is so encouraging. That’s why Zambia is 4th on the continent and looks in charge of this pandemic. We banish the spirit of tarino on this nation. God bless Zambia.

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading