Presidential COVID-19 task force dismayed with social media’s fake and misinformation ‘being sadly targeting at frontline healthcare workers’

* Frontline staff are working tirelessly to save lives and stop the COVID-19 spread

* It is illegal to threaten healthcare worker or any one in Malawi as according to law

* Law enforcement agencies to follow up on threats and bring to book all the people spreading threats and misinformation

* The denial being portrayed by some sections of the society will only make the situation worse

* “We may save a lot of lives if we work in unity”

By Duncan Mlanjira

The Presidential COVID-19 task force is dismayed by the public’s tendency to use social media in spreading fake and misinformation  that is “sadly” being used to target frontline healthcare workers.

In his Tuesday’s situation report, the Presidential COVID-19 task force co-chairperson, Dr. John Phuka says it is illegal to threaten healthcare workers or any one in Malawi and the law enforcement agencies has been mandated to follow up on these threats and bring to book all the people that are spreading these threats and misinformation.

He said the unfortunate events are coming when the country is having an increase in new confirmed cases, admissions and deaths while the healthcare workers and frontline staff are working tirelessly to save lives.

“What everyone has to know and accept is that we have COVID-19 pandemic in our country and in the second wave we are experiencing massive community transmission and that our response pillars are working hard to stop the spread,” Dr. Phuka says.

“In order to ensure that the transmission is stopped, there is need for all of us to accept the results of the COVID-19 testing and adhere to the advice from the health workers.”

He added that the denial that is currently being portrayed by some sections of the society will only make the situation worse.

“We may lose a lot of people who can be saved if we will not work in unity.”

In the past 24 hours of Tuesday, Malawi has registered a record high 225 new COVID-19 recoveries against an even higher 843 new cases with 22 new related deaths.

The new cases brings the total number of active cases at 13,005, of which a total of 328 active cases are admitted in over 25 hospitals across the country with Lilongwe as the highest at 126 and 95 in Blantyre at Queen Elizabeth Central, 19 in Zomba, 15 in Mzimba North and 12 in Mulanje.

In the past 24 hours, 44 cases were admitted while 11 were discharged from the hospital.

Of the 22 new related deaths COVID-19, seven from are from Lilongwe; four from Zomba; two each from Blantyre, Mzimba South and Kasungu and one each from Mchinji, Chitipa, Rumphi, Dedza, and Chiradzulu districts.

Cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 20,830 cases — including 540 deaths with case fatality rate at 2.6%.

All new cases are locally transmitted with Blantyre having the highest at 389; Lilongwe at 68, Nkhata Bay 62 and 38 each from Mchinji and Mzimba North, 32 from Dedza and 31 from Mulanje.

There were 28 from Rumphi, 19 from Kasungu, 17 from Mzimba South, 12 from Karonga, 11 each from Chiradzulu and Dowa, nine each from Salima, Thyolo, and Ntcheu, eight from Phalombe, seven from Zomba, six each from Chikwawa, Chitipa, and Mangochi, five each from Likoma, Neno, and Nkhotakota, four each from Balaka, Nsanje, and Ntchisi and one from Mwanza districts.

Cumulatively, 7,005 cases have now recovered, 134 were lost to follow-up, and 76 are still being investigated to ascertain their outcome, surpassing the 7,000 mark of the active cases of the over the 13,000 mark.

On testing, in the past 24 hours, 2,562 COVID-19 tests were conducted, 1,617 of the new tests were through SARS-COV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic test while the rest were through RT-PCR translating to a positivity rate of 32.9% and cumulatively, 132,915tests, have been conducted in the country so far.

Dr. Phuka reiterates that the fight of COVID-19 requires that everyone must be involved and that those that been confirmed COVID-19 positive — and contacts of the confirmed cases — should strictly follow isolation and quarantine rules to stop the further spread of the virus to the family members, work mates and the community at large.

“The preventive measures should be our daily routine regardless of status — frequent handwashing with soap, proper wearing of mask, avoiding over- crowded places, practicing cough and sneeze etiquette, staying home if you have flu-like symptoms and decontaminating commonly touched surfaces.

“Watch your distance! Wash your hands! Wear your mask! Seek for care early upon development of symptoms of COVID-19. Call toll free 929,” says Dr John Phuka.