Health Minister urges Covid-19 patients to seek attention early

Minister of Health Jonas Chanda has expressed concern that some Covid-19 patients are presenting themselves late to health facilities after developing poor oxygen saturation levels.

Dr. Chanda said some patients have been reporting to the health facilities with saturations around 60 percent or less.

He has pointed out that headache, shortness of breath, increased heartbeat and confusion are some of the symptoms of low saturation.

“We have observed a worrisome trend of patients reporting late to our health facilities with very poor oxygen saturation levels. Oxygen saturation simply put is the amount of oxygen that is in your bloodstream. The normal level should be around 95 to 99 percent. Any level below this is calls for concern,” he said.

Dr. Chanda has however noted that Covid-19 has also been shown to cause silent hypoxia, a condition in which an individual has low saturation but without the proportional features of respiratory distress.

He has since advised the public to attentively observe their symptoms closely once they test positive to Covid-19 and immediately report to a health facility.

“If you test positive for Covid-19, vigilantly monitor your symptoms and present to a health facility early for effective management by our dedicated teams of health workers. Our five golden rules are very clear on this point, ‘seek medical attention early if you are symptomatic,” he says.

The minister made these remarks in a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka this afternoon.

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, Zambia has recorded 1,120 new positive Covid-19 cases out of a total of 9,809 tests.

The cumulative number of Covid-19 cases now stands at 43,333 with 1,145 individuals discharged in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 32,667.

Further, the last 24 hours, 13 new deaths countrywide were recorded bringing the cumulative number of deaths recorded to 610.

The deaths have been classified as 241 Covid deaths, 346 Covid-19 associated deaths and 23 deaths pending classification.

“We currently have a total of 10,056 active Covid-19 cases. Of these, 9,613 are under community management while 443 are admitted to our various health facilities nationwide with 291 on oxygen therapy and 29 in critical condition,” Dr. Chanda stated.

And the Minister has further raised concern on the excessive use of home remedies such as ukufutikila (steaming) by the community saying this has resulted in causing other challenges.

Dr. Chanda noted that with over 95 percent of cases being managed within the community from the reported numbers, it is important that proven remedies are used safely and in moderation.

“I wish to speak on home remedies. In as much as we have encouraged the use of traditional and proven remedies such as ukufutikila and lemon juice for its Vitamin C benefits, we note with concern a number of reports coming from the community of excessive use of these home remedies which have resulted in steam burns, hypoxia and acidosis. Let us remember to use proven remedies safely and in moderation,” he advised.

He noted that his ministry has outlined clear criteria for community management of cases indicating that only asymptomatic, low risk patients with no co-morbidities or other medical reason requiring hospitalisation should be placed under community management.

“I repeat, if a patient is symptomatic or high risk or where they were initially asymptomatic but during their community management develop Covid-19 symptoms, these individuals must be referred to a Covid-19 facility. A high risk Covid-19 case includes any person with a pre-existing medical co-morbidity or other medical reason requiring hospital admission, or where the patient’s social circumstances pose a risk to other for instance, overcrowding, shared sanitary facilities or living in a household with the elderly or other at risk individuals,” he emphasised.

He has meanwhile expressed gratitude to the country’s diligent health workers who continue to work on the frontlines of the pandemic.

“We are well aware of the great sacrifices you have made over the months including risking your own safety and placing your lives on the line. We are also aware of the challenges you face and are working around the clock to provide you with the necessary support. We have continued to bring on board the private sector to complement our response efforts,” Dr. Chanda stated.

He has also urged the local authorities to ensure that transmission during large gatherings and super spreader events is halted by enforcing adherence to the guidelines.