Laxity on COVID-19 preventive measures worries govt.

Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya has warned that government will impose drastic measures should there be a continuous laxity among members of the public towards adherence to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) preventive guidelines.    Dr. Chilufya disclosed that President Edgar Lungu had expressed concern with the sudden upsurge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the recent past. He said the increase is as a result of relaxation to public health guidelines among the people. The Minister reiterated that laxity to the stipulated guidelines is fueling the super spread of the second wave of the pandemic. He therefore stated that pressing drastic measures will be the only solution to managing the further spread of the Coronavirus. As a call to action, Dr. Chilufya urged the citizenry to get back to the basics of ensuring that they adhere to the five golden rules as stipulated by the public health authorities. “Let us ensure that we live within the health guidelines, if we continue to see the rise in numbers by poor adherence, the message from President Lungu is for us to press for more drastic measures because it is the only way to stop the transmission,” Dr. Chilufya said. Dr. Chilufya revealed that the country has in the last 24 hours recorded 411 new cases of COVID-19 out of 5, 190 tests done, four deaths and 146 recoveries. He stated that most of the confirmed cases have a history of super spreader events such as traditional functions, night clubs and gatherings at parties among others, with poor adherence to public health guidelines. The Minister was speaking at a press briefing in Lusaka. He has since called on political parties to show solidarity in the fight against the pandemic as opposed to politicising the disease in order for them to gain political mileage. He noted that government is making all possible efforts to ensure that people’s lives are protected, while at the same time the economy is kept running. “I would like to state that COVID-19 is a deadly and ferocious enemy of humanity which has claimed more than one million lives globally. The globe has united in solidarity and unity of purpose to protect humanity, and today any political leader trying to derive political mileage out of such a scourge is disastrous,” he said. Meanwhile, Ministry of Health Director of Infectious Diseases Lloyd Mulenga disclosed that the approved COVID-19 vaccines will soon be in the country. Professor Mulenga indicated that vaccines earmarked for Zambia are very safe and that emergency authorisation for use has been granted by the global health community. “When we look at the approved vaccines so far, the ones which we are going to receive in the country have undergone three different phases,” Prof. Mulenga said. He expressed disappointment that some sectors of society are against the admission of the vaccines. He further explained that the safety data has been provided across all races, hence government will only have to prepare the communities for the vaccines.