AFRICA TO MANUFACTURE COVID-19 VACCINES

By SIMON MUNTEMBA THREE African countries are planning to manufacture international COVID-19 vaccines as a way to secure more vaccines for the continent, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary, Kennedy Malama has disclosed. Dr Malama said the international initiatives had been set up to support COVID-19 vaccine supply in Africa. He said in a statement that members of the public who have not yet received their first dosage should not panic about the availability of the vaccine because government was making efforts to ensure every citizen was catered for. He said more than 40 countries in Africa are vaccinating their people, hence it remains for the continent to secure more vaccines to support a successful vaccination. Meanwhile, Dr Malama said Zambia has vaccinated an addition of 7,417 persons against COVID-19 bringing the total vaccinated to 107,790 as of Friday, May 14, 2021. He added that the country has in the last 24hours recorded 53 new cases of COVID-19 out of 6,171 tests done across the country, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases to 92,409. Dr Malama revealed that the recorded cases were from 19 districts of which nine cases are from Central, five from Copperbelt, Eastern five, Luapula one, Lusaka recorded 21, Muchinga one, Northern five, North-Western two, Southern one and Western Province recorded three. He said no deaths were recorded but that there are currently 372 active cases, of whom 333 are under community management while 39 are admitted in isolation facilities. Dr Malama also said among those admitted, 27 were on oxygen support while eight were in critical condition. He reiterated the need for concerted efforts if the country is to win the fight against the pandemic.