Mzimba North DHO decries late Covid-19 diagnosis

Mzimba North District Health Office (DHO) spokesperson Lovemore Kabaghe has expressed concern over late diagnosis of Covid-19 cases.

Speaking on Thursday during a district Covid-19 situation update, he said the district is registering many positive Covid-19 cases that are clinically very ill because they are diagnosed late.

He said: “The delay in diagnosing the virus originates from the clients [patients] themselves who do not report to hospitals to be tested for the virus on time.

“They waste their time buying various medical drugs from shops whenever they have fever, without proper diagnosis.”

Kabaghe said people only go to hospitals after realising that their condition is not improving.

He said: “At this time, the patient is already at a very critical stage. 

“Currently, we have registered 13 deaths since the pandemic broke out and we attribute many of these deaths to delays in  diagnosis of the virus.”

Mzimba North director of administration Tamara Nyirongo urged community members to adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures as stipulated by the Ministry of Health.

Mzimba North has cumulatively registered 634 Covid-19 confirmed cases with 13 deaths.