UNDER FIRE Health minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya has announced that 112 COVID-19 patients are on oxygen in different isolation facilities around the country.
In a statement, Dr Chilufya said the COVID-19 outbreak in Zambia had now affected a total of 27,728 people including 469 deaths in 104 districts countrywide since the beginning of the outbreak.
He said the second wave of COVID-19 was filling up fast health facilities due to rapid transmission.
“This global public health threat caused by SARS-CoV-2 is affecting many countries including many on our continent. The story remains the same globally, poor adherence to prescribed public health measures coupled with the vicious nature of the new strain in many circumstances being the exacerbating factor of the increased number of cases,” Dr Chilufya said.
He announced that Zambia had recorded 1,161 new COVID-19 cases, out of 11,700 tests done in the last 24 hours bringing cumulative COVID-19 cases nationally to 27,728.
Dr Chilufya said the new cases were detected in 47 districts with the highest five being Lusaka with 365 cases.
“Ndola 140; Kabwe 137; Rufunsa 74; Chipata 52.The number of patients admitted to our health facilities is 191 cases with 112 on oxygen therapy. We have discharged 86 people bringing the cumulative recoveries to 20,598,” he said.
“Unfortunately we lost 5 patients in our health facilities including; 2 patients, in Levy Isolation Center; a woman in Livingstone Central Hospital; a young man in Solwezi General Hospital; and elderly man in Lewanika General Hospital. The cumulative deaths is 469 with 164 due to COVID-19, while 291 are associated COVD-19 deaths and 14 are yet to be classified.”
Dr Chilufya said the only way to manage the outbreak was to stop the person to person transmission by following preventive measures.
“Mask up in public; Maintain physical distance; Wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer; Avoid crowded places and stay at home; Seek medical attention early if symptomatic,” said Dr Chilufya.
©Kalemba January 10, 2020
