Zambia has in the last 24 hours recorded 140 new cases of COVID -19 out of 3,393 tests conducted representing a 4% positivity.
This also brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 88,012, Minister of Health Jonas Chanda has announced.
According to a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Dr. Chanda indicated that the new cases broken down by province shows 61 for Lusaka, North-western 29, 23 Luapula, 14 Copperbelt, 5 Eastern, Central and Southern Provinces 3 cases each while Northern and Western 1 each and zero cases for Nakonde.
The Minister further stated that the province with the highest positivity rate was North-western with 15% while Central, Southern and Western had the lowest positivity of 1%.
“There were zero or no new deaths recorded from the provinces in the last 24 hours. The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded remains at 1,200, classified as 667 COVID-19 deaths and 533 COVID-19 associated deaths,” he said.
Dr. Chanda added that 117 discharges were recorded from both the COVID-19 isolation facilities and home management bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 84,464 representing 96%.
“We currently have 2,348 active cases, of whom 2,253 are under community management and 95 are admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities. Among those admitted, 80 are on oxygen therapy and 16 are in critical condition,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister stated that government has worked hard to ensure that it can confidently introduce the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme as the ninth strategic objective in COVID-19 response.
Dr. Chanda said it is therefore worrying to note the level of skepticism, hesitancy and the conspiracy theories including ill-informed myths surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines.
“As a listening government, however, it is our duty to diligently address all the concerns of our people and these will be adequately addressed in our detailed Communication Strategy which will also look at the frequently asked questions around the vaccines,” he stressed.
The Minister added “It is our sincere hope that with continual community engagement, we will be able to reach common grounds and provide our people with the necessary information and assurance on the safety and efficacy of the vaccines choices in our approved basket which will protect people’s lives. We wish to emphasise that the Vaccination Programme will be carried out in a cautionary, voluntary, phased manner targeting priority groups, with dedicated pharmacovigilance systems in place to monitor the roll out,”
He observed that despite the current delivery delays from the Serum Institute of India under the COVAX facility which will see the deliveries of the vaccines sometime around April and May, government is pursuing other avenues to bring in the vaccines sooner through other Vaccine pillars provided they meet the safety and efficacy criteria as determined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and local regulatory agency, ZAMRA.
“As previously stated, the first pillar under COVAX will provide coverage for 20% of our eligible population meaning those aged 18 years and older while the other two pillars comprising vaccine diplomacy channels as well as government and private sector financed acquisition will provide coverage for the remainder of our eligible and priority groups from the basket of vaccines,” he noted.
Jonas has your govt ever rejected anything? You are just receiving vaccines from everywhere…what happened to the Russian vaccines? People do not have confidence in you thieves…if you give your own citizens expired drugs what about free vaccines from unknown donors
BUT WHAT VACCINE SHALL WE BE GETTING?
SURELY NOT FROM INDIA?
THE JOHNSON AND JOHNSON ONE DOSE VACCINE SEEMS TO BE THE BEST OPTION
WE GETTING ANYTHING THATS FREE !!!
LEAVE US ALONE AS WE HAVE BETTER THINGS TO SPEND OUR FUNDS ON LIKE CAMPAIGNING AND GIVING OUT FREE GIFTS IN THE NAME OF
ENPOWERMENT WE ARE YOUR GOVERNMENT SO SHOT UP !! DO AS WE IN PF SAY AND NOT AS WE DO kikiki
The deadly virus is going to stay with us for a very long time, getting a Covid-19 vaccine shot is the only solution for this.
I have seen people, some fools have stopped wearing a mask when they realized that the number of coronavirus cases is decreasing.
Because of some dull people everyone has to suffer! Pathetic!!!
HH is responsible for rising covid cases. He is roaming around, gathering people and those people didn’t even follow any health guidelines.
The covid-19 is for real guys!!! Stay protected, take care of your loved ones, and strictly adhere to the Covid-19 health guidelines.
Thank god, the government has brought the vaccine at the right time. The country cannot afford another lockdown.
It’s been a year, still people are under fear of the deadly disease. We must root it out from Zambia.
Hope UPND didn’t create any more fear among Zambians about the Covid-19 vaccine, as they do it all the time to target the government.
President Lungu and his government worked really hard to control the spread of the virus. But still, because of few careless people, all the efforts are getting wasted.
The number is less, we can control the spread. I appeal to all Zambians to continuously follow the health guidelines. Never remove masks in a public place and strictly avoid public gatherings.
Hope UPND didn’t create any more fear among Zambians about the Covid-19 vaccine, as they do it all the time to target the government.
PRAISE PRAISE FOR WHAT ??? DONT YOU KNOW THE VACCINE IS NOT HERE YET
SO WHATS TIMELY ABOUT THAT
AND HH SPREADING IT KIKIKI
HE WEARS HIS MASK UNLIKE LUNGU WHO HAS ALREADY HAD HIS VACCINE WHILST WE HAVE TO WAIT
ISNT IT NORMAL WHEN THE VACCINE DOES ARRIVE THE PRESIDENT TAKES IT FIRST AS AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS
WHAT GUIDE LINES ??? 90% NOT MASKING UP
The vaccine is NOT the only, or even a good solution. Anyone with any basic critical thinking skills would quickly realize what is going on around the world and REJECT IT! The sad TRUTH is that the CONSPIRACIES MAKE MORE SENSE than the lies told by the so called experts. There is also plenty of evidence of real experts, scientists and doctors (who appose these WHO policies and methods) being silenced world wide.