Health minister Sylvia Masebo has announced that the Ministry of Health has stopped mass covid-19 testing due to a shortage of test kits and only persons with severe symptoms will be tested.
Ms. Masebo said that Zambia cannot cope with mass test screening as has been the case since Covid broke out in Zambia.
Speaking at a media briefing for the COVID-19 situation in Zambia, Ms. Masebo explained that due to the escalating community inspections and rising positivity rate, testing everyone will become unsustainable and therefore, only persons with Covid symptoms will be prioritized.
Ms. Masebo reported that Zambia in the past week recorded a slight reduction in the overall number of new Covid-19 cases detected from 26,557 in the previous week to 23,227 cases.
Ms. Masebo however said the week witnessed more deaths from 41 the previous week to 69 cases in the past week.
Ms. Masebo further revealed that in the last 24hrs, the country has recorded 1,485 new covid-19 cases out of the total 5,389 tests conducted countywide.
Ms. Masebo said that in the last 24hrs, 5 deaths were recorded with 2 classified as Covid deaths while 3 have been classified as Covid associated deaths.
Ask the cooperating partners to give us the testing kits
New dark goverment hasn’t taken the fight against Covid-19 seriously. How can they stop mass testing? If there one area where we need to borrow, it is Covid-19.
If this situation was under PF, the Westerners would have known and the s@t@n1st would have been interviewed by BBC by now.
What a disaster! Is this Zambia or Cartoon Network?
This is very sad especially that Zambia just been removed from travel ban. One would have thought that this would be a priority by goverment. Bottom line is that hospitals have run out drugs, testing kit included.
#2 Henry. In opposition he made everything seem so simple that everyone wanted to start ruling right there and then.
Testing and early treatment is the key to fighting this disease coupled with vaccinations. Next you will be telling us we have run out of vaccines.
PF was not that bad as portrayed by the new dark government.
PF has been VINDICATED by failure by the new dark government to handle Covid-19. PF tried hard and the number of infected people dropped drastically.
To say that the Ministry of Health has stopped mass covid-19 testing due to a shortage of test kits, is NOT acceptable.
What are you doing to acquire the kits? And what is the reason for the shortage, is it that you are lacking funding Or you have been overwhelmed by number of cases than you forecasted? In any case, you dont stop !!!
Maybe the problem is that the disbursement of funds is being controlled by the minister of finance together with the owner of the country.
Kikikikiki Chipante pante Government….a bunch of Jokers…in opposition everything looked simple…bwaaaahhiihihiii….Loadsheding is in full swing…….corruption on the rise….
Correct me if am wrong. But didn’t Zambia recently receive Covid-19 related donations including money, test kits and PPE?
Of course it makes sense to test only persons with symptoms. Zambia must find it’s own strategy to deal with this pandemic within it’s means and not just copying blindly what other countries are doing. Most of them have failed to control the situation anyway. A virologist will tell you that it is a big mistake to vaccinate people in the midst of a pandemic because you’re only openning doors to more variants. If Omnicron which is the least harmless of all variants is left to spread, the result is that everyone will be soon have a natural immunity and that would be the end of this pandemic. You only have to look a little deeper to see that this is not in the interest of the billion dollar pharma industry which is fully backed by the western governments.
Who are the government Covid advisors? They are either incompetent or lack an understanding of public health policy. 1. Some people with Covid do not show the classic symptoms and it is only by testing that you can identify them and get them to take appropriate action. 2. Hospitals are generally congested places with people who can be susceptible to infection, you need to screen everyone so that hospitals don’t become spreader locations. 3. Healthcare workers need to be protected 4. Economic sustainability of mass testing should not be a factor as the taxpayers being denied access to kits would rather have their taxes used for test kits and keep their families safe #Incompetence
Am sure they have reached the turget given to vacinate the reason to stop testing . We told you running the country is not as easy as you were puting. it is not as easy as running shareholders company
Just mobilize inganga shilebuka.
Now focus on mass cleanings to prevent cholera. There was no cholera under Lungu.
New day, new yawn!! Saddle up Zambia, it will be a rough ride on the lame horse government.
#15 The monthly keep ZAMBIA Clean has stopped. Lungu has gone but this progressive idea should go… it’s for the good of everyone…. otherwise cholera will return.
It’s funny just how people enjoy criticizing without offering solutions. What’s the point of a government mass testing it’s citizens only for the same citizens to refuse to mask up even in crowded spaces? Is the Lusambo formula which is criminal and without legal backing what they need?
Dr ECL and Dr Chitalu Chilufya handle Covid-19 better than the current team. The theory now is if we don’t test we won’t record covid cases. It’s laughable. Schools and universities should open in phases
How? These things don’t just run out. Someone has been sleeping on the job? Heads must roll. The shortage is probably because no one is making deals out of this,
This bally will fix us Government is looking at failure in the face. Who does this sort of thing. People will die like flies in that country.
So now due to unnecessary road blocks at procurement these guys cannot afford to priotize testing? White niggaz have given you funds for Covid-19. Right up now Masebo sounds so damn incompetent. Just listened to her humiliating excuses. Where is nigga h². What incompetence! You chaps want to sacrifice Zambians to Covid-19?
No wonder we hear of shortages of Covid-19 drugs in hospitals back home. Is f***king IMF also in this business?
If you’re tired, just give up. Lazy Government!
@19
Yes, they do run out. Omicron has been overwhelming in ways that no other variant has. You can never prepare for every eventuality, we do not have unlimited resources after all.
The health system is already overwhelmed, and health workers are having to take less time than recommended in quarantine and going back for work even if they are still sick. It is easy to say what the government should have done as a reactionary, and that’s why it is always easier for those in opposition to criticize.
NEW DARK GOVT U AR THE REASON CASES ARE RISING U TOLD US IT WAS POLITICAL WEN U WERE IN OPOSITION HOW WILL PEOPLE TRUST U NOW MBUZI IMWE
@21, there is a shortage of almost everything in the health facilities; drugs, testing kits, cleaning materials etc. After the August elections, MoH directed health facilities to go flat out on mass testing even when it was clear that the cases in the in the community were very low. The health workers are now at risk.
KZ did you hear that? Ati Zambia cannot cope.
My recollection is that PF used to cope.
Watch this space. OMG! Testing must continue because when these high numbers are shared, people are better informed about the severity. We need to make our people sit up because they are very complacent. Vaccination rates will now decrease because without the daily updates, people will spread the false information that COVID-19 cases have reduced.
Bwana Minister,
Put your house in order.
Now is not the time to relent on mass testing.
Resolve this matter with urgency it requires.
This is human life we are dealing with.
Find the resources to mass test.
Pf was more serious that upnd with the health of people. UPND has lost touch eith this disease. They seem not to know what to do . Bars open 24/7 place are crowded…pf was far much better
Cluelessness by government to a clueless minister hahahahaha these chaps are clueless…No idea how government system functions no Wonder Vasco da gama keeps on moving like a headless chicken.