Treatment Advocacy Literacy Executive Director Campaign Felix Mwanza has disclosed that COVID-19 pandemic has not claimed a lot of lives for people living with HIV due to increased care in the country.
Speaking during the Media Science with the topic; separating facts from fiction, what does Science say about the Corona Virus over year later, Mr. Mwanza says the margins of HIV positive living people who have died cannot be compared to the general public in the country.
Mr. Mwanza notes that Health care services for people living with HIV has been increasing over years ensuring that they are healthier.
He said they will soon conduct a survey to ascertain the number of HIV positive living people who are vaccinated.
Meanwhile Zambia national Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) Infectious Disease Specialist Paul Zulu said people should anticipate the 4th wave of COVID-19 between December and January.
He said so far 6.4% have been vaccinated from the time the new minister of health and the President re-launched the vaccination campaign.
He said vaccines are very safe and do not have any problems saying people should not be afraid of been vaccinated.
He added that the country for not have a shortage of vaccines so far.
Zambia may in the near future consider vaccinating children against COVID-19 as there a source of infection who may pick up disease and pass it on to adults who may develop illness.
“Some countries including South Africa have already approved the vaccination of children against COVID-19 and has already started doing so” Dr. Zulu disclosed.
Equitable access to safe and effective vaccines is critical to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is hugely encouraging to see so many vaccines proving and going into development. WHO is working tirelessly with partners to develop, manufacture and deploy safe and effective vaccines.
Safe and effective vaccines are a game-changing tool: but for the foreseeable future we must continue wearing masks, cleaning our hands, ensuring good ventilation indoors, physically distancing and avoiding crowds.
Being vaccinated does not mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk, particularly because research is still ongoing into how much vaccines protect not only against disease but also against infection and transmission.
