Zambia winds down COVID-19 isolation facilities due to reduced cases

LUSAKA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has started winding down some COVID-19 isolation facilities following a continued reduction in cases, a senior government official said on Friday.

Minister of Health Jonas Chanda said the country has seen a marked reduction in daily cases with the number of cases requiring admission reducing.

He said the number of admissions has been under 100 in the last six days, with no admissions in three of the country's 10 provinces.

He however said in a COVID-19 update statement that the ministry has continued to take stock of the equipment and human resource the country has invested in to fight the pandemic for preparation for a possible third wave in the cold season which may require scaling up capacity.

The Zambian minister further said the ministry has developed a communication strategy to properly inform people before rolling out the vaccine.

(Photo: agencies)

"The Ministry of Health continues to make headway in preparation for the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination program, with our communication strategy playing a key role in ensuring that our people are well informed on the science and the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine," he said.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 181 new cases in the last 24 hours out of 4,814 tests done. This brings the cumulative cases to 88,730, and 127 patients were discharged during the same period bringing the total recoveries to 84,825, while three people died bringing the total deaths to 1,215.