Thursday, March 28, 2024

Investigations launched on why Samples of COVID-19 from Zambezi were transported on a Public Bus

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Investigations have been launched to establish why COVID-19 samples were transported from Zambezi on a public bus. This follows a directive by President Edgar Lungu that an investigation is conducted into the matter which resulted in the death of Ian Mutambo, a lab technician after the bus was involved in an incident.

Minister of Health, Chitalu Chilufya, has urged the public to avoid speculations and wait for investigations to be concluded. Dr. Chilufya said this should not be used as an opportunity to politics as it risks reversing gains that have been scored in the COVID-19 fight.

He has urged the public to allow the family to mourn the deceased in peace and said the Government will fully support the family during the funeral. Dr. Chilufya said this during the routine updates in Lusaka today.

Meanwhile, 13 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the last 24 hours, in the country. Dr. Chilufya said 811 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours and that 9 of the 13 new cases are contacts to known cases.

Dr Chilufya said four are health workers from Chilenje Hospital, who were NOT around when they initially conducted tests on the other health workers. The Minister of Health said the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases stands at 1 hundred and 37 while the active cases are now 59.

Dr. Chilufya said all patients are stable and that the total number of recoveries remains at 78, with NO discharge in the last 24 hours. He said the 3-months-old baby who was reported to be ill, is now stable.

Dr. Chilufya expressed disappointment with a few congregations, that did not adhere to public health regulations.

23 COMMENTS

  1. Just like the Gold theft in NW you will never hear President urging the ACC or DEC to take up investigations here again Chilufya will investigate himself…this has gone too far!!

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  2. Things that don’t make sense are what win elections in Zambia. Dununa Reverse made us put wrong people in office and now we have Bally and people are excited. We might end up with an idyot in Plot 1. If Edgar can’t discipline Chitalu Chilufya let him tell who can do it other than him. If he can’t then he mustn’t complain. Let him shut up and await his fate next year, we will deal with him through the ballot.

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  3. I have been given money on duty before to use a plane for travel but opted for a bus. What I am failing to calculate hear is were the workers from Chilenje disappeared to and reappear with Covid 19. The more Dr Chilufya continues to be mysterious in his reports the more the his figures will be questioned.
    Well Dr Chilufya did say yesterday that investigation on the accidents have not been conclude but what I am failing to figure out here again is the reduction in the number of tests between today and yesterday. Are the so called Journalists picking this or are just interested in Dr Chilufya resigning or how much has been donated?

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  4. Excellent. As I have said let us await the outcome of the investigation. No one currently has the answers so it is quite f.o.o.lish to continue blaming the minister and ministry as a whole. The problem with diasporans is that to them only they and their masters abroad know best. A diaspora will visit Zambia and convince you that he is a CEO and has flown to the moon. These chaps live on cloud 9. Living a fantasy while we deal with reality and facts. My minister is right we shall wait for the facts to be ascertained while our friends in diaspora and opposition continue campaigning using the death of a young man. That is how evil these possessed pigs are.kz

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  5. @kz these diasporans are not to be trusted with anything. Most of them I believe live in carton boxes. Most of the time travel abroad they disappear on all media platforms the moment I start off only to reappear when I am back home. They clearly do not want me to see where they live. Coming to the issues at hand they will be more useful commenting on deaths in their refugee countries were they are dying like pigs than in Zambia were we only have 3 deaths.

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  6. kci – It seems you are not very sharp upstairs …you have been baited by the UK based troll and you have taken!!

  7. My clone above with a South African flag keeps masquerading as me. Please just ignore him and stick with the real one, myself who has a UK flag.

    I agree with the boss to open up investigations. I hope my friend Chilufya doesn’t end up with blood on his hands.

    There is just too much money thrown in our direction by our good partners for us to be risking the lives of our young people at the front line.

    Why can’t we use these stranded aircrafts that can’t go anywhere. We can easily hire them for a song.

    Chilufya my minister I’m afraid but these new cases are on the rise every day, which means we are not flattening the curve. We don’t want to be another basket case like what’s happening with these Diasporas refugees in their countries where they mistreat them.

    Let us…

  8. Let us quickly take testing labs at the provinces or let us transport samples using air transport.

    If we mess this COVID-19 response, we will be handing over power to the one man tribal leader. Kz

  9. Quote ;Dr Chilufya said four are health workers from Chilenje Hospital, who were NOT around when they initially conducted tests on the other health workers.

    BENZE KUTI ABA 4 ALL THIS TIME? what is the purpose of contact tracing? is not to get in touch with those exposed to covid patients as soon as you get their details? did they just come back from their vacation leave? awe bane more clarification on this one.

  10. Useless investigation done by incompetent PF government. The answer was already given to why the student on internship used a bus to transport the samples. All we want from them is to apologize and compensate the victim’s family. Please bury the young man in a dignified manner and he is hero. PF government very useless. Bally eill sort you out. PF must go!

  11. “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

    HOW IS THIS APPROPRIATE TO THIS SCENARIO? AM IMAGINING WHAT THE YOUNG MAN COULD HAVE DONE FOR THE COUNTRY IF HE HAD LIVED UP TO RETIREMENT AGE, IF HIS COUNTRY HAD PROVIDED APPROPRIATE TRANSPORTATION LOGISTICS FOR THOSE COVID SAMPLES.

  12. Covid 19 Samples on Public Transport the shameful reality in Zambia this is very shameful you have been exposing passengers on buses transporting covid 19 samples on public transport what about the money being donated this government is very useless.

  13. This is the result of having foools, bakamushi, in positions of leadership where they’ve no clue as to what they’re supposed to be doing. These fooools should be sued for endangering the lives of Zambians on that bus. All these ignoramuses need to go next year. Send them back to their villages, and the clueless guy in State house back to Chawama. We need smart people, who are well educated to start running this country. We’re sick and tired of these incompetent, mediocre, uneducated impostors pretending to be genuine leaders, when they can’t even run a lemonade stand. What a shame.

  14. Investigations in Zambia are just a mere pronouncement, I can tell you in advance and for a fact that nonbody will be found culpable. There will be no disciplinary process of any kind on anyone, so every body involved needs to be as at ease as usual.

  15. Nothing right will come out of this investigation let’s not forget that a family has lost a provider. Let us just continue keeping ourselves safe.

  16. Despite the ongoing investigations, it is important to remain united and focussed as a country to stop the virus from spreading. If countries like USA spent more time working together than fighting each other politically, they would have not suffered such huge losses.

    Let us continue to support our health workers as we adhere to the safety guidelines. Stay safe Zambia!

  17. Tanzanian President John Magufuli questioned the reliability of government data on the coronavirus outbreak and ordered a criminal investigation into the national medical laboratory, suggesting “sabotage from imperialists” is at play.

    Magufuli said government agents secretly sent swabs from a live goat, a bird and a papaya fruit to the state-run National Reference and Public Health Laboratory and labeled them as human. The results came out positive for the virus. Samples from a lamb tested negative, he said.

    “This means that some people who have tested positive for coronavirus actually don’t even have this disease,” he said, speaking from his home village of Chato in a televised address. “The situation is not as bad as fear-mongers claim.”

  18. @ kci… Just wait Zambians will soon start dying like cockroaches that has been sprayed with Doom, Many people in the slums of Lusaka are sick. Health Minister is not telling us the truth about the numbers of death caused by coronavirus. Without help and mercy from developed countries poverty stricken country like Zambia is just a hell hole, Not too long ago Zambians died like PIGS from HIV AIDS, hundreds still die from Malaria and other curable diseases. Stop acting as if Zambia is paradise 60 percent of people live below the poverty line and 42 percent are classified as extremely poor. … Around 15 percent of children in Zambia are underweight, and 40 percent are stunted. Poverty is worst in rural Zambia, where 83 percent of people live below the poverty line. Mzungus countries…

  19. @ kci… Just wait Zambians will soon start dying like cockroaches that has been sprayed with Doom, Many people in the slums of Lusaka are sick. Health Minister is not telling us the truth about the numbers of death caused by coronavirus. Without help and mercy from developed countries poverty stricken country like Zambia is just a hell hole, Not too long ago Zambians died like PIGS from HIV AIDS, hundreds still die from Malaria and other curable diseases. Stop acting as if Zambia is paradise 60 percent of people live below the poverty line and 42 percent are classified as extremely poor. … Around 15 percent of children in Zambia are underweight, and 40 percent are stunted. Poverty is worst in rural Zambia, where 83 percent of people live below the poverty line. Mzungu countries…

  20. All we can do is look elsewhere while all knowing how Bio-Safety Transportation Protocols should be adhered to in such cases.

  21. Useless inhumane comments again from the despica.ble likes of @KCI and @KZ

    Money has been donated for this fight, the ministry of health has plenty of vehicles moving around (including donated ones every year), yet, for senseless irresponsible reasons, they choose to transport samples on a passenger bus. Need we say more? What investigation? As usual the irrational bloggers choose to sit on the fence, or continue to defend the indefensible. Pathetic beings!

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