By MAIMBO MWEEMBA
Ministry of health Permanent secretary Technical services Kennedy Malama says the ministry is overjoyed as it is set to receive 228,000 additional doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by the French Government through the COVAX facility.
The vaccines will arrive aboard the Emirates plane this afternoon at 14:25hrs at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.
“Government is indebted to the France Government and the COVAX Facility for the continuous support. This injection of vaccines into the programme is a very welcome development as we will be able to vaccinate more of our people and provide them with a level of protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and even death from Covid-19,” he said.
Dr Malama said the ministry is determined to remove the vaccination sites from health facilities so as to avoid congestion’s by taking the sites to more conducive sites riding on existing infrastructure in our communities.
He says Government is committed to ensuring further acquisition of additional vaccines in line with the Cabinet approved basket of vaccines.
“In the last 24 hours, we administered both Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccine doses; specifically, 121 Dose 1 Sinopharm, 73 Dose 2 Sinopharm and 981 Dose 2 AstraZeneca vaccinations. Our cumulative vaccinations to date now stand at 142,246 Dose 1 vaccinations our next expected consignment of vaccines will be the sinopharm within July and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in August,” he said.
And Dr Malama said that as a response the ministry has continued ramping up procurement of oxygen cylinders, concentrators and oxygen delivery devices.
“With a high number Of Patients requiring high flow Oxygen countrywide standing at over 700 we urge various partners and stakeholders as they come to support the response to prioritize oxygen delivery devices and the schedule is available at the Ministry of Health for those who may need it as they plan donations,” he said.
Dr Malama has urged the enforcement teams to ensure revocation of licenses for all those found flouting the directives is done.
“We commend the enforcement squad in Lusaka who inspected business premises including bars, night clubs, lodges, restaurants and casinos in the last 24 hours. Fifty were found to be in violation of the operational guidelines, including consumption of alcohol on site and having clients enclosed in poorly ventilated spaces,” he said.
In the last 24 hours, Zambia recorded 1,232 confirmed Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative number of Covid 19 cases to 165,513, while the cumulative number of confirmed stands at 2,492.
Dr Malama has continued to encourage Zambians not to relent and continue playing their vital role in ensuring that the chains of community transmission are broken by adhering to the public health guidance.
