Experts tip Govt on Covid-19 ‘second wave’

Early last year, it was a norm to hear about someone who has died of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) getting buried the same day.

Months later, Covid-19 deaths became sporadic, giving hope of an end to the monstrous killer.

But as people are now talking about a ‘second wave’ of Covid-19 elsewhere, figures in Malawi are equally telling too and health workers on the ground can testify that since end November 2020, the figures are once again going in the wrong direction—hitting three digits in the past two weeks.

As fate would have it, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital director Samson Mndolo has confirmed increasing numbers of Covid-19 admissions since November 30.

“We expect December parties and gatherings to bring more disease this January,” he said.

Meanwhile, the soaring figures have prompted some health experts in the country to urge government to strengthen measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Based on Public Health Institute of Malawi (Phim) Covid-19 regular updates, 536 new Covid-19 infections were recorded between December 19 2020 and January 1 2021.

However, a comparison of the ratio of positive infections to number of tests shows that the rate of infection rose by four percentage points from 6.97 percent to 11.08.

Between December 19 and 25, 191 people tested positive for Covid-19 against 2 664 tests, representing 6.97 percent of total tests conducted. The ratio of confirmed cases to number of tests conducted rose to 11.08 percent after health authorities confirmed 345 cases of coronavirus tests from 3 024 cases conducted between December 26 and January 1.

Reacting to the rise in coronavirus infections, Malawi University of Science and Technology virologist Bandawe Gama said the rise in infections is a reflection of the prevailing trends elsewhere.

Several countries, including Britain, the United States, Germany, as well as regional neighbours Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe have witnessed sharp rises in new infections.

He said that the current rise in infections here is “expected” considering the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus and the enduring presence of long-Covid—a version of the disease that remains in a patient’s body for a long time.

“There have been new variants of the coronavirus that have emerged. Because there are a lot of viruses circulating in so many different types of people who have compromised immune systems and long-Covid, the virus is spreading faster than originally expected,” said Gama.

Health authorities in the United Kingdom and South Africa, earlier cautioned that the new variants identified there are about 60 and 70 percent more transmissible and have been known to produce serious health complications in healthy and younger people.

On his part, Malawi Health Equity Network executive director George Jobe said Malawi is experiencing a resurgence in corona virus infections because people ‘mistook’ the drop in corona virus infections for an end of the pandemic.

He has since urged government to revitalise its Covid-19 containment measures, such as setting up a testing centre at the Malawi High Commission in South Africa where people coming here can be tested.

Jobe also proposed that those who test positive should be isolated from their uninfected peers when in transit, report to local and traditional authorities for monitoring when sent back in isolation and set up enforcement measures to support the containment regulations.

“The regulations should involve consultations of key stakeholders to instil a sense of ownership and avoid the injunctions we have been experiencing.

“Enforcement of regulations need to be given extra attention and resources because we have experienced very minimal compliance by the general public,” said Jobe.