ONLY 5.8 per cent of the targeted 8.4 million people in Zambia are fully vaccinated against Corona virus (COVID-19), Health Minister Silvia Masebo has disclosed.
Ms. Masebo said there was need to have at-lest 70 per cent of the targeted population vaccinates if the country was to get a good herd immunity that would assure protection of the non-target population and few unvaccinated.
She said in a statement yesterday that there was overwhelming evidence of protection against the devastating disease when one was fully immunized but wondered why people were still shying away.
“Only 5.8 per cent of the targeted 8.4 million people in Zambia are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and yet there is overwhelming evidence of protection against the devastating disease when one is fully immunized,” Ms. Masebo said.
She explained that COVID-19 vaccines produced protection against the disease and reduced the risk of developing the COVID-19 illness and its consequences including long-term health problems and death hence the need for people to get vaccinated against the virus.
Ms. Masebo disclosed the ministry had so far administered 1,717 doses of Johnson and Johnson, 1,069 dose one and 264 dose two AstraZeneca and 56 doses of Sinopharm bringing the cumulative number of doses to date to 849,060.
She said Zambia had continued to record low numbers in key COVID-19 indicators, including new cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
In the past week, we recorded a total of 174 new cases, four deaths and 189 recoveries, compared to 184 cases, five deaths and 291 recoveries the previous week. In comparison, this represents a 5 per cent reduction in new cases, 50 per cent reduction in new admissions and 20 per cent reduction in deaths compared to the previous week,” Ms. Masebo said.
She said the ministry recorded 15 new COVID-19 cases out of the 2,412 tests conducted countrywide representing a 0.6 per cent overall national positivity.
Ms. Masebo said the new cases were reported from five of the ten provinces which included Lusaka accounting for six, Muchinga with four, North-western with three while Southern and Western recorded one each.
She said for the second consecutive day, the ministry did not record any new deaths in the last 24 hours leading to yesterday and the cumulative number of COVID-19 related deaths recorded still stood at 3,658, classified as 2,739 COVID-19 deaths and 919 associated deaths.
Ms Masebo said the ministry only had one admission from Western Province in the previous 24 hours while conversely there was only one facility discharge made from Northern province with 12 active cases.
She said of those admitted, five where on Oxygen therapy and presently none are in critical condition and that 18 discharged from home management was made bringing the cumulative number of recoveries recorded to date to 205,686.
