Zambia in the last 24 hours recorded 168 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of 3,503 tests conducted representing a 4.8 percent positivity.
The distribution of cases show that Central Province recorded 29, Copperbelt 12, Eastern seven, Luapula 24, Lusaka Province six, Muchinga 27, Northern 21, North-western 36 and three each for Southern and Western Provinces respectively.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services, Kennedy Malama has indicated in a statement issued today in Lusaka that the cumulative number of confirmed cases recorded to date now stands at 202,429.
Dr. Malama further indicated that nine new COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the past 24 hours which included four cases from North-western Province, Luapula 2, Copperbelt, Eastern and Lusaka Provinces one case each respectively.
He said the cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded to date now stands at 3,538 and classified as 2,655 COVID-19 deaths and 883 COVID-19 associated deaths.
“We discharged 475 patients, 10 from facilities and 465 from community management, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries to 196,352 representing a 97 percent recovery. We currently have 2,539 active cases, with 2,324 under community management and 215 admitted to our COVID-19 isolation facilities and 18 new admissions in the last 24 hours,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary said among those currently admitted, 144 are on Oxygen therapy and 51 are in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Dr. Malama stated that in the last 24 hours, 469,864 new cases and 8,148 deaths were recorded globally with the highest burden of new cases being from Asia with 54 percent, followed by Europe at 21 percent, North America 14 percent, Africa 6 percent and South-America 5 percent..
“As a country we are delighted that the COVID-19 positive trajectory has continued and we are optimistic that we will continue building on this. However, we are also cognizant of the current risk we face which can facilitate spikes particularly with laxity in complying with the prescribed public health and social measures,” he noted.
And Dr. Malama further said in the last 24 hours, 206 Dose 1 and 245 Dose 2 AstraZeneca vaccinations as well as 1,294 doses of Johnson and Johnson were administered.
“The breakdown of the cumulative vaccinations by vaccine type is as follows: 307,931 Dose 1 vaccinations which includes 301,032 AstraZeneca and 6,899 Sinopharm, and 215,964 fully vaccinated which includes 106,057 Dose 2 AstraZeneca, 103,571 Johnson and Johnson, and 6,336 Dose 2 Sinopharm representing 92 percent of those that received dose 1,” he said.
Dr. Malama said the country’s cumulative usage of 977,600 vaccines received to date now stands at 523,895 with a conservative wastage rate of 4 percent.
