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2 december 2020 @ 19:18
ZAMBIA AMONG 6 SAFEST PLACES TO TRAVEL DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
An international travel organization has named Zambia among six safest travel destinations in world, and the only one in Africa so far to receive the recognition.
Zambia is the fourth safest tourism destination ahead of Uruguay and Saudi Arabia while Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are the top three respectively, according to an article published on the Wego Travel Blog website, entitled “Safe Places to Travel During Covid-19 Pandemic.”
The ranking is based on the standards of the European Union countries to coordinate travel restrictions, according to information shared by Huzaifa Jada, a representative of the Zambian mission in Riyadh. Of the 70 countries with sufficient data and testing, only six were ranked as “Safe” for travel.
The classification was based on epidemiological criteria, regarding the ability of countries to contain the pandemic, achieve stability over a long period of time, and the efficiency of the health system, particularly, the clinical capacity for intensive care rooms and efficiency medical staff.
Australia topped the results of the tests in terms of positive coronavirus swabs conducted on 1.693 per million people, with 0.0% of 0.5 new cases per million people.
New Zealand ranked second with 1,365 tests per million inhabitants, with 1% of 0.8 million new cases per million inhabitants. Singapore came third with 4,491 tests per million people, 0.0%, out of 1.3 new cases per million people.
Zambia ranked fourth with 264 examinations per million people, with 0.7% of new cases per million people. Cuba followed in fifth place with 774 examinations per million inhabitants, with 0.4% of 3.5 new cases per million inhabitants.
Saudi Arabia has conducted more than 1.5 million laboratory tests for coronavirus, of which 0.6% are positive samples out of 8.8 new cases per million people.
The Wego data had last been updated on November 27 at the time this article was published.
7 juli 2021 @ 20:35
STATEMENT ON COVID-19 IN ZAMBIA
LUSAKA (Wednesday 7th July, 2021)
Good morning members of the press, country men, women and the youth
As a country we should not tire as we continue responding to the COVID 19 Pandemic. We are confident that we will bring COVID 19 under control but key to this is ensuring total adherence to the public health and social directives which are in place.
We note a high burden of cases globally (20% rise compared to two days ago) in the last 24hours; having recorded 430,842 new cases including 8,196 deaths.
The highest burden of new cases was from Asia (38%); followed by South America (28%); Europe (19%); and North America (6%). Africa now accounts for 9% of new cases recorded in the last 24 hours.
Of the 37,212 new cases in Africa, 42% were recorded in South Africa; whereas of the 836 new deaths in Africa, with the highest proportion (55 %) recorded in South Africa.
Risk communication and community engagement is a key pillar of our response, more so in light of our crusade to take the fight from the hospitals to the communities. This equips members of the public with the correct knowledge to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection, shared through community outreach, television, radio and social media.
Unfortunately, well meant efforts continue to be frustrated by those who continue to disregard the directives with impunity. We call upon the enforcement and prosecution wings not to relent but continue the tasks with vigor.
During our patrols this long weekend, we found a number of drinking premises reopening despite being directed to not operate.
Furthermore, some establishments have gone to the extent of locking patrons in these poorly ventilated premises to avoid being inspected and shutdown. In the last 24 hours, our Lusaka operation alone closed down 28 premises, including 6 nightclubs and 16 bars.
While Government continues to put its resources into the COVID 19 Response, we continue to receive overwhelming support through diplomatic ties and various international and local partners. The Africa Centers for disease control and Prevention in addition to various support given will expedite the recruitment of 2500 community health workers through AMREF who will beef up our community level response efforts.
Further Africa CDC will invest to support our genomic sequencing work.
We are also encouraged by the contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine program from various diplomatic ties. The United States Government has confirmed their contribution of 165,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines though the COVAX facility. This supply should be in country within the month of July 2021.
Contrary to some reports on social media, I wish to advise that we have not commenced Dose 1 administration of the vaccine as yet; the date for the commencement of Dose 1 has been set for this Friday, 9th July, 2021.
We will provide a packaged update tomorrow on how we will proceed with the side by side administration of both dose 1 and dose 2. We see an improvement in the availability of vaccines in the third and fourth quarter of this year. We reiterate that members of the public should not panic as Government remains committed to ensuring that all the 8,4 million people eligible for the vaccine have access in the shortest possible time.
In the last 24 hours, we administered 2,354 Dose 2 AstraZeneca vaccinations. Our cumulative vaccinations to date now stand at 142,198 Dose 1 vaccinations (135,299 AstraZeneca and 6,899 Sinopharm) and of these, 27,724 have gone on to receive Dose 2 vaccinations [i.e. 21,388 Dose 2 AstraZeneca (16% of those that received dose 1) and 6,336 Dose 2 Sinopharm (92% of those that received dose 1).
Countrymen and women, in the last 24 hours, we recorded One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy-One (1,871) new confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 7,635 tests conducted (25% positivity), bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 169,003. The breakdown of the new cases (and positivity) by province are as follows: Central 151 (33%), Copperbelt 263 (24%), Eastern 267 (45%), Luapula 86 (21%), Lusaka 389 (17%), Muchinga 113 (19%), Northern 84 (22%), North-western 62 (22%), Southern 366 (29%) and Western 90 (29%).
On a sad note, we reported Fifty-Nine (59) COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours. The breakdown of the new deaths by province is as follows: Lusaka 18; Copperbelt 15; Eastern 8; Central 6, Southern 6; North-western 5; and Luapula 1. The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded to date now stands at 2,618 (classified as 1,878 COVID-19 deaths and 740 COVID-19 associated deaths).
We discharged 1,670 patients (121 from our isolation facilities and 1,549 from home management). This brings the cumulative number of recoveries to 149,421 (88% recovered overall).
We currently have 16,964 active cases, with 15,737 (93%) under community management and 1,227 (7%) admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities. Among those currently admitted, 914 (71%) are on Oxygen therapy and 167 (13%) are in critical condition. We had 187 new admissions in the last 24hours (compared to 214 the previous day).
Country men and women, we continue stressing that only if we successfully shift the COVD-19 fight from hospitals to our communities will we be able to stop transmission at community level and subsequently avert hospitalisations and deaths. Each one of us, at individual, family, or community level must take it as our moral, humanitarian obligation to enforce the key interventions in all our circles: 1) Mask up correctly and consistently; 2) Maintain physical distance; 3) Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer; 4) Avoid crowded places if possible, particularly super spreader events, or stay at home; and 5) Seek medical attention early if you are symptomatic. In addition, let us avail ourselves for vaccination once the opportunity is presented to us.
Relaxing our response is a recipe for disaster so let’s not relent but fight COVID 19 as a collective.
God Bless Zambia.
Dr. Kennedy Malama
Permanent Secretary – Technical Services
Ministry of HealthSTATEMENT ON COVID-19 IN ZAMBIA
LUSAKA (Wednesday 7th July, 2021)
Good morning members of the press, country men, women and the youth
As a country we should not tire as we continue responding to the COVID 19 Pandemic. We are confident that we will bring COVID 19 under control but key to this is ensuring total adherence to the public health and social directives which are in place.
We note a high burden of cases globally (20% rise compared to two days ago) in the last 24hours; having recorded 430,842 new cases including 8,196 deaths.
The highest burden of new cases was from Asia (38%); followed by South America (28%); Europe (19%); and North America (6%). Africa now accounts for 9% of new cases recorded in the last 24 hours.
Of the 37,212 new cases in Africa, 42% were recorded in South Africa; whereas of the 836 new deaths in Africa, with the highest proportion (55 %) recorded in South Africa.
Risk communication and community engagement is a key pillar of our response, more so in light of our crusade to take the fight from the hospitals to the communities. This equips members of the public with the correct knowledge to protect themselves against COVID-19 infection, shared through community outreach, television, radio and social media.
Unfortunately, well meant efforts continue to be frustrated by those who continue to disregard the directives with impunity. We call upon the enforcement and prosecution wings not to relent but continue the tasks with vigor.
During our patrols this long weekend, we found a number of drinking premises reopening despite being directed to not operate.
Furthermore, some establishments have gone to the extent of locking patrons in these poorly ventilated premises to avoid being inspected and shutdown. In the last 24 hours, our Lusaka operation alone closed down 28 premises, including 6 nightclubs and 16 bars.
While Government continues to put its resources into the COVID 19 Response, we continue to receive overwhelming support through diplomatic ties and various international and local partners. The Africa Centers for disease control and Prevention in addition to various support given will expedite the recruitment of 2500 community health workers through AMREF who will beef up our community level response efforts.
Further Africa CDC will invest to support our genomic sequencing work.
We are also encouraged by the contribution to the COVID-19 vaccine program from various diplomatic ties. The United States Government has confirmed their contribution of 165,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines though the COVAX facility. This supply should be in country within the month of July 2021.
Contrary to some reports on social media, I wish to advise that we have not commenced Dose 1 administration of the vaccine as yet; the date for the commencement of Dose 1 has been set for this Friday, 9th July, 2021.
We will provide a packaged update tomorrow on how we will proceed with the side by side administration of both dose 1 and dose 2. We see an improvement in the availability of vaccines in the third and fourth quarter of this year. We reiterate that members of the public should not panic as Government remains committed to ensuring that all the 8,4 million people eligible for the vaccine have access in the shortest possible time.
In the last 24 hours, we administered 2,354 Dose 2 AstraZeneca vaccinations. Our cumulative vaccinations to date now stand at 142,198 Dose 1 vaccinations (135,299 AstraZeneca and 6,899 Sinopharm) and of these, 27,724 have gone on to receive Dose 2 vaccinations [i.e. 21,388 Dose 2 AstraZeneca (16% of those that received dose 1) and 6,336 Dose 2 Sinopharm (92% of those that received dose 1).
Countrymen and women, in the last 24 hours, we recorded One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy-One (1,871) new confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 7,635 tests conducted (25% positivity), bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date to 169,003. The breakdown of the new cases (and positivity) by province are as follows: Central 151 (33%), Copperbelt 263 (24%), Eastern 267 (45%), Luapula 86 (21%), Lusaka 389 (17%), Muchinga 113 (19%), Northern 84 (22%), North-western 62 (22%), Southern 366 (29%) and Western 90 (29%).
On a sad note, we reported Fifty-Nine (59) COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours. The breakdown of the new deaths by province is as follows: Lusaka 18; Copperbelt 15; Eastern 8; Central 6, Southern 6; North-western 5; and Luapula 1. The cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded to date now stands at 2,618 (classified as 1,878 COVID-19 deaths and 740 COVID-19 associated deaths).
We discharged 1,670 patients (121 from our isolation facilities and 1,549 from home management). This brings the cumulative number of recoveries to 149,421 (88% recovered overall).
We currently have 16,964 active cases, with 15,737 (93%) under community management and 1,227 (7%) admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities. Among those currently admitted, 914 (71%) are on Oxygen therapy and 167 (13%) are in critical condition. We had 187 new admissions in the last 24hours (compared to 214 the previous day).
Country men and women, we continue stressing that only if we successfully shift the COVD-19 fight from hospitals to our communities will we be able to stop transmission at community level and subsequently avert hospitalisations and deaths. Each one of us, at individual, family, or community level must take it as our moral, humanitarian obligation to enforce the key interventions in all our circles: 1) Mask up correctly and consistently; 2) Maintain physical distance; 3) Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use hand sanitizer; 4) Avoid crowded places if possible, particularly super spreader events, or stay at home; and 5) Seek medical attention early if you are symptomatic. In addition, let us avail ourselves for vaccination once the opportunity is presented to us.
Relaxing our response is a recipe for disaster so let’s not relent but fight COVID 19 as a collective.
God Bless Zambia.
Dr. Kennedy Malama
Permanent Secretary – Technical Services
Ministry of Health