Public positively responding to calls for COVID-19 vaccination

President Chakwera was first to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 11

* Blantyre DHO rolls out second phase from Monday, March to 22-26

* Targeting the elderly; those with commorbidities and other social workers

* Over 861 centers across the country will provide the vaccination services

* About 1.4 million Malawians are expected to be vaccinated

* There were 129 new COVID-19 cases, 315 new recoveries, one new death as of Friday

By Duncan Mlanjira

Since the COVID-19 vaccination exercise was officially launched by President Lazarus Chakwera on March 11 as the first recipient of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 15,326 people have been vaccinated in the country.

As of Friday, 6,235 people have been successfully vaccinated as about 1.4 million Malawians are expected to be given the jab, which is free of charge.

Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) announced on African that it will roll out its vaccination second phase from Monday March 22-26 at Gateway; Limbe; Mlambe; Lirangwe; Chileka; Chilomoni; Zingwangwa; Mpemba; Ndirande and Kadidi.

The second phase targets the elderly (aged 60 years above) and people with commorbidities like asthma, BP, diabetes, cancers, HIV and other chronic conditions.

Others are social workers such as teachers,  journalists, people in different government departments, banks, truck drivers, chiefs, religious leaders, Councilors, MPs and other influential leaders.

Vaccination will be starting around 9am at these, as according to Chrissy Banda, Blantyre DHO’s health promotion and public relations officer.

Co-chairperson of the presidential task force on COVID-19, Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda says they have observed that many people are not aware that they have underlying conditions and only become aware while having COVID-19 infection.

She, therefore, urges the public to routinely get screened for these underlying conditions [and] for those that have these chronic diseases should live with it under control.

“This means ensuring you are regularly taking medication for diabetes, hypertension, HIV, TB and asthma,” she said, while advising those with the underlying conditions as well as the elderly to go for the COVID-19 vaccination as the disease has been shown to adversely affect more the elderly and people with pre-existing chronic condition.

She also emphasized that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe as it has less or fewer side effects, most of which are minor and self-limiting.

“These [side effects] include pain or soreness on the injection site, fever, headache, muscle or joint pain, fatigue or nausea and will usually go away without any need of hospital treatment.

“As with any other vaccine, those that are receiving it are informed on the possible side effects including those that may need to be immediately reported to the health facilities.

“Those that have or will be receiving the vaccine are encouraged to report to the nearest health facility any adverse effects following immunization or call the toll free 929.

“No one is safe until everyone else is safe. Protect yourself; protect your loved ones; protect everyone.

Meanwhile, in the past 24 hours of Friday there were 129 new COVID-19 cases, 315 new recoveries, one new death that occurred in Kasungu District.

Of the new cases, 125 are locally transmitted with Lilongwe registering the highest at 45 followed by 34 from Mzimba North and 27 from Blantyre.

Four of the new cases were imported — three new arrivals at Dzaleka

Refugee Camp in Dowa District and one from Mchinji District who was identified at Mwami border during the routine screening.

The number of those hospitalized is also positively reducing as there was a total of 37 active cases that were in admission —  eight each in

Blantyre and Lilongwe, five in Zomba, four in each in Mzimba North and Thyolo, three in Kasungu, and one each in Nkhata Bay, Ntcheu, Balaka, Salima, and Chiradzulu Districts.

Two cases were hospitalised while three were discharged on Friday as 27, 847 cases have now recovered (recovery rate of 83.9%) and 134 were lost to follow-up — bringing the total number of active cases to 4,101.

The recovery rate is at 83.9%; positivity at 11.2% while case fatality rate is at 3.29%.