Chilima, wife test coronavirus negative: ‘Malawi surge in virus cases is alarming and frightening’

Malawi vice-president Saulos Chilima has said with his wife he has undertaken a coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic tests following the surge of cases in the country and both tested negative.

Chilima said in his post on Facebook that he went with his wife Mary for Covid-19 tests on Sunday and “we both tested negative.”

He said: “We will repeat the tests in two weeks as guided by health personnel. We urge you to do the same. Let us fight and defeat Covid-19.”

Chilima’s Covid-19 tests come in the wake of the death of his secretary and UTM administrative officer Bertha Nsambo after she contracted the virus.

He has also visited Aford politician Frank Mwenifumbo in hospital last week, before he announced on Sunday that he has tested Covid-19 positive.

In his post, Chilima conceded that the “the surge in Covid-19 cases is alarming and frightening.”

He urged Malawians to maintain hygiene practices.

“Let us do our part by washing hands regularly, practising respiratory hygiene, and keeping social distance and most importantly by getting tested for Covid-19,” appealed Chilima.

Testing positive should allow contacts to be traced, crucial in allowing Malawi to get back to some level of normality.

Malawi, which has not been placed under a lockdown, has registered 1 613 cases so far with 7% of those infections detected in the last 24-hour reporting cycle.

At least 64% of the new infections were from community transmission.

Meanwhile, the presidency is sending a message to the public to take coronavirus seriously and face a reality that the virus is a killer and preventing it demands adjusting lifestyles, avoid public gatherings where necessary and indeed protecting oneself.