• 119,000 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
• The number of fully vaccinated persons now stands at 3,674,839.
• The country detected 141 new confirmed cases out of 2,519 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
Minister of Health has disclosed that over 119,000 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours, bringing national average coverage to 34%.
Speaking at a media briefing, Sylvia Masebo said Government is elated over the positive response from citizens who have accessed the vaccines, with some Districts recording 50% vaccination rate and more of the eligible population are vaccinated.
Ms. Masebo revealed that 2, 215, 111 people have received dose 1 and 293,894 booster doses.
She clarified that booster doses are the same vaccines being administered primarily after noting the immunity provided by the disease and the 1 or 2 vaccine doses wanes off after a period of time.
“The number of fully vaccinated persons now stands at 3,674,839 who received the single dose J&J vaccine. We are hopeful that everyone eligible will get fully vaccinated and receive a booster dose. The national average COVID-19 vaccination coverage is 34%, fully vaccinated and 15% partially vaccinated,” Ms. Masebo said.
Meanwhile, Ms. Masebo disclosed that the country has continued to record Covid-19 associated deaths in unvaccinated elderly people, as one death has been reported in Luanshya in an elderly unvaccinated man with cancer.
She said this brings the cumulative number of deaths recorded to date to 3,988, and has encouraged families to ensure that their elderly family members get vaccinated.
Ms. Masebo also revealed that in the last 24 hours, the country detected 141 new confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 2,519 tests conducted, representing a national positivity of 6%, with Northern Province reporting zero new cases, while Eastern, Luapula, Muchinga and Western all reported under ten cases.
“The cumulative number of cases is now 322,207. It is saddening to note that we continue to record deaths particularly in unvaccinated elderly persons. We urge all families to ensure that even their elderly family members receive the vaccine. To date, we have recorded 3,988 deaths cumulatively. Of these, 2856 have been classified as COVID-19 deaths,” she added.
The country has 839 active cases, out of which 16 are admitted to healthcare facilities, with seven or 44% on oxygen therapy and according to the Ministry of Health, none of the currently admitted is classified as being in critical condition.
