Chanco campus
* Malawi Red Cross Society launches distribution of COVID-19 prevention and general disasters response materials
* The pandemic is continuing to cause a lot of sorrow and anxiety—Minister of Health, Kandodo Chiponda
By Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express & Trouble Ziba, MANA
After 35 people tested positive of COVID-19 following tests done after academic activities resumed at Chancellor College (Chanco) in Zomba, management engaged the District Health Office to disinfect the whole campus.
It a very large campus
A memorandum from the institution’s registrar dated January 4, the 35 are 18 students, 14 members of staff and three other campus related individuals.
“All the staff members are in isolation and stable except one who has been admitted at the hospital,” says the statement.
The registrar has since applauded all staff members for their “cooperation rendered to the health staff as they conduct contact-tracing following the daily increase of new positive cases on campus”.
The staff and students were asked to evacuate the campus for the disinfection exercise and since examination invigilation has been completed the staff have been encouraged to work from home.
Majiya presents the materials to Kandodo
Chiponda
Meanwhile, Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) has launched distribution of COVID-19 prevention and general disasters response materials worth K1.6 billion to strengthen response interventions of both, COVID-19 and other disasters that may occur in the country.
The launch of materials distribution comes a few days after State President Lazarus Chakwera declared Malawi a state of disaster following a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.
At the launch ceremony on Thursday in Kanengo, Lilongwe, Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said was presiding over the launch at a difficult time when the delivery of health care services was heavily compromised by COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspecting the materials
“The pandemic is continuing to cause a lot of sorrow and anxiety. After September, 2020, we hoped that we had seen the worst of COVID-19, but it is disheartening to see that it has come back and this time more aggressive,” she said.
Chiponda then made reference to Wednesday, January 13’s record high COVID-19 new cases which hit 591 with 21 new deaths in a single day.
To that effect, she said it was the responsibility of everyone to prevent such records from worsening by strengthening partnerships in the fight against the pandemic
The materials to be distributed include those related to COVID-19 response and for response interventions to other kinds of disasters that may occur in the country.
According to the minister, while some materials will help to control spread of the coronavirus, others will assist in making COVID-19 patients comfortable in isolation centres.
The materials include tents, blankets, watertanks, sanitizer, toilet tissue, soap, tooth paste, surgical masks, disposable aprons, dead-body bags and shelter kits among others.
MRCS president, Innocent Majiya said the materials have been bought with funds from European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid under the project dubbed ‘Prevent, Control and Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and other Disasters in Malawi’.
Coronavirus alert
He said it was the role of MRCS to assist in emergencies in the country and that the launch of materials distribution was a direct response to the president’s declaration of state of disaster for Malawi on January 12, 2021.
Majiya explained that the project has three areas — Ministry of Health, MRCS and other relevant humanitarian organisations will have access to large-scale emergency stock-pile of PPEs and hygiene and shelter items in Malawi.
Coronavirus alert
“The second one is to build capacity on risk communication and prevention measures and protection, gender and inclusion for MRCS staff, volunteers and stakeholders,” he said.
In the third result area, Majiya said MRCS will respond to any district depending on the need though initially the focus will be on Mwanza, Chikwawa, Mangochi and Karonga.
The project started in June, 2020 and will end in July, 2021.
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