Health Minister Chiponda says Covid-19 claims 1,513 lives so far, 33 in last 24 hours
As of Monday, July 26, 2021, cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 49,009 cases including 1,513 deaths (case fatality rate at 3.08%) and that out of these cases, 2,564 are imported infections and 46,445 are locally transmitted, Health minister and co-chairperson for the Covid-19 Presidential Taskforce, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has disclosed.
In a press statement on the Covid-19 situation in Malawi as of Monday, Chiponda says cumulatively, 36,622 cases have now recovered (recovery rate of 74.7%). This brings the total number of active cases to 10,642.
“In the past 24 hours, Malawi has registered 372 new Covid-19 cases, 203 new recoveries, and 33 new deaths. Of the new cases, 370 cases are locally transmitted with Lilongwe recording 101 cases, 99 from Blantyre, 38 from Mzimba North, 34 from Zomba, 20 from Mzimba South, 11 from Dedza, 10 from Mchinji, eight from Nkhotakota, six each from Chikwawa and Mangochi, five each from Dowa and Salima, four from Ntcheu, three each from Balaka, Karonga, Ntchisi, and Thyolo, two each from Kasungu, Machinga, and Mulanje, and one each from Mwanza, Neno, Nkhata Bay, and Nsanje while two cases are imported and both are from Mchinji district.
“33 new deaths were registered in the past 24 hours; five from Blantyre, three each from Lilongwe, Mangochi, Salima, and Mchinji, two each from Balaka, Dedza, Chiradzulu, and Ntchisi, and one each from Dowa, Kasungu, Mulanje, Mzimba South, Thyolo, Ntcheu, Chikwawa, and Mwanza districts,” reads the statement.
It says there have been 59 new admissions in the treatment units in the last 24 hours while 34 cases were discharged.
“Currently, a total of 377 active cases are currently hospitalised with Blantyre recording 108, 79 in Lilongwe, 31 in Zomba, 16 in Mzimba North, 15 in Kasungu, 13 in Dowa, 11 in Mangochi, 10 in Salima, nine each in Mzimba South and Nkhotakota, eight each in Thyolo and Chiradzulu, seven each in Mulanje and Neno, six each in Mchinji, Karonga, Balaka, and Ntchisi, four in Rumphi, three each in Ntcheu, Phalombe, Machinga, and Chikwawa, two in Nsanje, and one each in Nkhata Bay, Dedza, Chitipa, and Mwanza districts.
“On testing, in the past 24 hours, 1,364 Covid-19 tests were conducted. Of these, 607 tests were through SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic test while the rest were through RT-PCR. The positive cases out of the total number tested (past 24 hours) translates to a positivity rate of 27.2% while a weekly positivity rate (seven days moving average) is at 24.9%.
Cumulatively, 323,864 tests have been conducted in the country so far. On Covid-19 vaccination, cumulatively 385,242 and 43,165 people have received the first dose and second dose respectively,” reads the statement.
The Covid-19 vaccination program has resumed today and data for those vaccinated today will be reported tomorrow. A total of 428,407 vaccine doses has been administered in the country so far.
Covid-19 vaccinations resumed in Malawi on Monday following the arrival on Saturday of 192,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine donated by France through COVAX, a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative for the fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines around world.
Khumbize Chiponda commended Malawians for turning out in large numbers to receive Covid-19 jabs in various vaccination sites across the country.
“Let me emphasize that for us to win the fight against Covid-19, we need to utilize all the available tools available such as adhering to the preventive and containment measures and getting vaccinated for those eligible.
“Let me encourage everyone that is eligible for the vaccine to ensure that they are vaccinated against Covid-19. The current vaccine stock is the AstraZeneca vaccine and for one to be fully protected it requires two doses given at 12 weeks’ interval,” she says.
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