Africa-Press – Malawi. Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has said the government is concerned with the rising numbers of Covid cases. She has therefore announced government will deploy the Police and Malawi Defence Force to enforce Covid restriction measures.
Kandodo Chiponda, who is also the co-Chairperson of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid, disclosed at the press briefing in Lilongwe Thursday that in 24 hours Malawi registered 104 new cases with one death bringing the positivity rate up to 8.9 percent.
On Wednesday the country recorded 119 cases. She said the government will enforce all Covid restrictions that were put in place with the help of the Police.
“On this note, we will work with the police and if need be the MDF,” she said.
The Minister decried laxity among Malawians in observing the preventive measures saying the virus has also hit the education sector with the country’s secondary schools registering 23 cases, universities registering 13 cases, primary schools registering three cases while Teachers Training schools registering 19.
She, however, said schools will remain open, but with close monitoring. “We will keep monitoring the situation day by day and indeed it will come to a point when we will look at case by case but for now we will keep our schools open,” she said.
Kandodo Chiponda said the demand for the Covid vaccine has been increasing in the last three weeks saying the country was expecting additional 900,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by July or August. This will add to the about 200, 000 doses expected to be in the country by the first week of July.
