Malawi Covid-19 cases reach 43: First patient in Thyolo as Lilongwe records another

Malawi  has registered two more Covid 19, the strands for coronavirus pandemic cases to take the tally to 43  since the first cases were recorded on April 2 this year.

Minister of Health Jappie Mhango confirmed the news Wednesday , saying the one of the two cases has been recorded at Bvumbwe in Thyolo District while another is in the capital Lilongwe.

He said the two new cases have been confirmed by laboratories at College of Medicine in Blantyre and National Heath Reference Lab in Lilongwe.

“The first case is a 41-year-old man, a truck driver. He stays in Area 23. He returned from Beira, Mozambique on Saturday, 2 May.

“On Monday, 4 May, he went to Likuni Hospital with mild symptoms.  A sample was collected and tested for coronavirus. The results came out positive,” said Mhango.

The minister said the patient has bene put  under institutional quarantine.

He said his wife tested negative and is on home quarantine.

“The second case is a 38 years old male from Bvumbwe, Thyolo with recent travel to Tanzania. Currently, he is under home isolation with no symptoms,” he said.

The minister said health workers are tracing all the contacts of the two cases so that they can also be followed up and tested for the virus.

Out of the 43 cases the country has so far registered, three died, nine have recovered while 29 remain under health management.

Cumulatively, Lilongwe has registered 24 cases and two deaths while Blantyre has recorded 11 cases and one death. Mzuzu has so far registered three cases whereas Zomba, Nkhotakota, Karonga , Chikwawa and now Thyolo have registered a case each.

President Peter Mutharika on March 20 declared a State of Disaster and outlined preventive measures, including a ban on public gatherings and closure of schools as part of measures to fight the pandemic.