The Zambian government has developed a COVID-19 resurgence plan that is aimed at accelerating the fight against the pandemic, reported CGTN Africa.
On Monday, Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said the resurgence plan will help consolidate the government’s national response to COVID-19 in a multisectoral approach.
“I, therefore, urge all our partners and well-wishers to align their support as we fight the COVID-19 collectively,” she said in a statement released on the COVID-19 situation in the country.
While acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic has remained a great source of concern to the country, the Zambian health minister said the government is committed to the fight against the virus in order to save the lives and livelihoods of the people.
She said the government’s commitment has been demonstrated by the appointment of a COVID-19 Advisor to the President.
The minister noted that the country’s development has been adversely affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Zambian health authorities reported 236,958 COVID-19 cases last year, out of which 51 percent were males and 49 percent females, with 86 percent of people infected aged 18 years and above.
Masebo said the Omicron variant is also spreading very fast in the country with 88 new cases of the variant detected in the last few days, bringing the total cases of the Omicron variant to 197.
According to the Ministry of Health figures, the total number of Covid-19 cases currently stands at 261,211, following 1,544 new confirmed cases reported in the past 24 hours. The new cases were detected from 5,754 tests done during the period, representing a 27 percent positivity rate while 2,725 people were discharged, bringing the total recoveries to 229,006. At least 10 people died during the same period, bringing the total deaths to 3,753.
Meanwhile, the Zambian education ministry has also rescheduled the reopening of schools due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Schools were scheduled for reopening on Jan. 10, but the re-opening date has now been moved to Jan. 24.
