News Of The South
File Picture of Thousands of people gathered at a campaign rally in Malawi Malawi Ministry of Health says cases of Covid-19 cases continues to deteriorate following the registration of 40 new cases in the country with the highest number recorded in the northern region’s City of Mzuzu.
In a press release issued on Tuesday in the capital city, Lilongwe signed by the chairperson for the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19, Dr John Phuka clearly stated that there are no new recovery cases while two people have died in the past 24 hours.
Malawians went out in huge numbers last week to elect a new President where very little precaution was taken against Coronavirus.
And here below is the content of the press release as released by the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19;
“In the past 24 hours, Malawi has registered 41 new COVID-19 cases, no new recoveries, and two new deaths. The new deaths are 42-year-old male that died at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe and a 34-year-old male died at Mchinji District Hospital.
Let me convey my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. May their souls rest in peace.
The new cases, 30 are contacts to the confirmed cases, two are imported and nine are under investigation. Of the locally transmitted infections, 20 are from Mzuzu (one is a health care worker), four from Lilongwe, two from Mchinji, two from Phalombe, and one each from Nsanje and Blantyre (health care worker).
The two imported cases recently returned from South Africa and are from Mangochi and Salima. For the nine cases still under investigation, four are from Mzuzu, two from Lilongwe, two from Blantyre and one from Mchinji.
Cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 1265 cases including 16 deaths. Of these cases, 639 are imported infections and 581 are locally transmitted while 45 are still under investigation. Cumulatively, 260 cases have now recovered bringing the total number of active cases to 989.
The average age of the cases is 33.8 years, the youngest case is aged 1 month, the oldest is 78 years and 68% are male.
The country has so far conducted 14,173 COVID-19 tests in 37 COVID-19 testing sites.
As local transmission of COVID-19 is on the rise in our country, I would like to encourage everyone to wear a cloth mask whenever you are going into crowded places.
Those with positive COVID-19 result should self-isolate and put on a medical mask all the time. Medical masks must always be used when taking care of COVID-19 suspected people or COVID-19 patients both in health care setting and at home.
Heath care workers and other frontline workers are always reminded to strictly follow the Infection Prevention and Control measures.
The following is a guide on how to wear and remove a mask:
• Clean your hands before putting on the mask.
• Inspect the mask for tears or holes, do not use a mask that is damaged.
• Adjust the mask to cover your mouth, nose, and chin, leaving no gaps on the sides.
• Avoid touching the mask while wearing it.
• Change your mask if it gets dirty or wet.
• Clean your hands before
Take off the mask by removing it from the ear loops, without touching the front of the mask.
• Medical masks are for single use only; discard the mask immediately, preferably into a closed bin. Do not liter
• Wash your hands with soap after removing the mask.
• If you are using a cloth mask, wash it in hot water using soap at least once a day.
Remember, a mask alone cannot protect you from COVID-19. It must be combined with other measures, including maintaining at least one-metre distance from each other, washing your hands frequently and avoiding touching your face while wearing a mask.
Stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19!
Dr. John Phuka
Co-Chairperson – Presidential Taskforce”