By XINHUA
Zambia has recorded 3,028 new COVID-19 cases and 53 deaths in the last 24 hours, its health ministry said on Tuesday.
The new cases were picked from 10,882 tests done during the period, representing a 28 percent positivity rate as the effect of the third wave gains momentum.
This brings the cumulative cases to 133,659 while the total deaths stand at 1,744 following the 53 new deaths.
A total of 1,394 patients were discharged during the same period bringing the total recoveries to 111,844.
Kennedy Malama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in charge of Technical Services said evidence has shown that laxity in adherence to the preventive guidelines was the major cause for the surge in new cases.
According to him, 463 people have died within three weeks of this month representing 27 percent of all the lives lost in the last 14 months since the start of the pandemic.
“It’s clear that when bed occupancy in the COVID-19 isolation and treatment centers goes above 40 percent, health care workers and systems get overwhelmed as the unique medical demands from COVID-19 patients takes its toll,” he said.
The government, he said, was ramping up the acquisition of vaccines to ensure that it vaccinates a large number of the eligible population.
