06/07/2021
STATEMENT ON COVID-19 IN ZAMBIA
LUSAKA (Tuesday 6th July, 2021)
Good morning members of the press, country men, women and the youth
As we continue to fight COVID-19, we are observing clusters of COVID 19 cases being reported particularly from indoor settings with poor ventilation.
Even as we enforce the five golden rules, we must not overlook the key requirement of proper ventilation in enclosed spaces.
As schools remain closed, we appeal to parents, guardians to keep a closer eye on our children and young people to prevent them from getting involved in illicit activities which leads to catastrophic consequences on their health and lives. Alcohol and substance abuse and teenage pregnancies are vices we shouldn’t allow.
In Lusaka last night, we closed 25 business premises (including bars, nightclubs and wholesale liquor outlets) that did not meet the operating standards or adherence to the guidelines.
We will continue with closures and prosecutions as part of the response.
Our vaccination program continue gaining momentum and yesterday we received 228,000 doses of AstraZeneca from the French Government through the COVAX Facility. These vaccines will be distributed countrywide and will be used for dose 2 for those who already received dose 1 and also dose 1 for those willing to receive the vaccine.
The Government of the Republic of Zambia is grateful to the people and Government of France for this noble gesture. Like in any component of our COVID 19 response we assure transparency, accountability and integrity.
We have noted the concerns raised with regard to the administration of the vaccines to pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly.
We continue to observe severe disease and death and increased risk of miscarriages or having a preterm baby among unvaccinated pregnant women who test positive for COVID-19. In addition, the elderly are among the majority of the COVID-19 deaths being reported.
We wish to state that we have done due diligence through the Zambia Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (ZITAG). found that the COVID-19 vaccine has no negative effects in pregnancy. Additionally, the COVID-19 vaccine being a non-live vaccine is safe to use in breast feeding mothers.
Whereas there is a lower age limit for the vaccines (18 years), there is no upper limit and therefore as guided by the WHO, the elderly in Zambia are considered a priority in the COVID-19 vaccinations program.
Based on these findings, the Zambia COVID-19 vaccination guidelines support the vaccination of pregnant and lactating women as well as the elderly based on the great potential benefits.
In the last 24 hours, we administered 2,023 Dose 2 AstraZeneca vaccine. Our cumulative vaccinations to date now stand at 142,198 Dose 1 vaccinations (6,899 Sinopharm and 135,299 AstraZeneca) and of these, 25,370 have gone on to receive Dose 2 vaccinations [i.e. 19,034 Dose 2 AstraZeneca (14% of those that received dose 1) and 6,336 Dose 2 Sinopharm (92% of those that received dose 1).
We reiterate our call to members of the public that all COVID 19 vaccines we are administering are free of charge. Report anyone asking for money for whatever purpose in the vaccination program to the health authorities or indeed the Police.
Sadly, we have continued to receive reports of the unauthorised use of Ivermectin in COVID 19 treatment with some unscrupulous individuals now going as far as using the WHO logo to advance their illegal marketing appetite of this drug.
We have tasked the Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) to move in and clamp down on persons that continue to put the lives of our people at risk. We are committed to protecting the lives of Zambians and ask that you exercise patience rather than rush to use purported wonder drugs that have not been recommended for use by renowned authorities the world over.
The discourse around Ivermectin is ongoing, and therefore, we must remain systematic and use the guidance of both our internal experts and the WHO on this matter. Remember that self-prescription and incorrect medication are a danger as they mask serious illness and lead to delays in seeking medical attention
Countrymen and women;
in the last 24 hours, we recorded One Thousand Six Hundred and Nineteen (1,619) new confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 6,485 tests conducted giving a 25% positivity.
This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 167,132.
The breakdown of the new cases and positivity by province are as follows: Central 138 (31%), Copperbelt 254 (25%), Eastern 188 (40%), Luapula 43 (13%), Lusaka 460 (24%), Muchinga 81 (17%), Northern 112 (22%), North-western 87 (28%), Southern 143 (23%) and Western 113 (31%).
Regrettably we recorded Sixty-Seven (67) COVID-19 related deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
The deaths are classified as 59 COVID-19 deaths and 8 COVID-19 associated deaths).
The breakdown of the new deaths by province is as follows: Lusaka 20; Eastern 16; Copperbelt 10; Southern 10; Western 4, Luapula 2, Muchinga 2, Central 1, Northern 1; and North-western 1.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded to date now stands at 2,559 (classified as 1,824 COVID-19 deaths and 735 COVID-19 associated deaths).
Eastern Province has seen an increase in testing positivity, admissions to hospital and deaths all above the national average. We call upon the people to adhere to the public health and social measures if we are to turn this unpleasant trajectory.
We have continued seeing delayed presentation to health facilities with patients presenting already in critical state. We urge members of public to seek medical attention early and also for health facilities ensure timely referral to the next level of care.
In the last 24 hours, we discharged 1,843 patients (131 from our health facilities and 1,712 from home management). This brings the cumulative number of recoveries to 147,751 (88% recovered overall).
We currently have 16,822 active cases, with 15,542 (92%) under home based management and 1,280 (8%) admitted to our COVID-19 treatment facilities.
Among those currently admitted, 914 (71%) are on Oxygen therapy and 167 (13%) are in critical condition. We saw an increase in the number of new admissions countrywide in the last 24hours (214 new admissions) compared to 176 the previous day.
Country men and women,
We restate our call of taking the fight away from hospitals into the communities with special focus on;
Masking up correctly and consistently, maintaining physical distance of at least a meter, maintaining hand hygiene by washing hands using water and soap or using alcohol based hand sanitizer, avoid crowded places and ensuring well ventilated spaces, seeking medical attention very early and avoiding self-prescription and self-medication and getting vaccinated when vaccine is available.
Stay safe and protect one another.
Dr. Kennedy Malama
Permanent Secretary – Technical Services
Ministry of Health
