Malawi health minister warns against laxity in Covid-19 fight:  Fears over second wave

Minister of Health  Khumbidze Kandodo-Chiponda has warned Malawians against complacency in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 pandemic now that the figures of infected people are going down.

Chiponda shot the warning on Thursday in Mangochi when she received a donation of personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth K37million from the Trade and Development Bank (TDB) for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The minister described the novel Coronavirus as unpredictable,  saying some  countries are registering a second wave of the pandemic.

Said Chiponda: “Some countries are having a second wave of the pandemic after figures dropped and  now the numbers of infected people and those dying are rising again.

“Our goal as ministry and as government is to ensure that we have no new infections and to achieve that we need to keep our guards up at all times.”

The minister, who is also Co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, described Mangochi and Mzimba as high risk districts as they have large numbers of people traveling to South Africa most of whom are now returning home.

She disclosed that close to 6,000 Malawians who are returning home are stuck at Beit Bridge and that government is sending buses every week to get a good number of the Malawians home per turn.

“Most of these returnees are from here, Mangochi, and Mzimba, so as a district you need to be on high alert and ready to handle them when they arrive in the district,” explained the minister.

Chiponda said the TDB’s PPE donation has come at the right time when health workers in the country are in dire need of the same.

Besides Malawi government, Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) is another recipient of the K37million donation which is meant to support the country’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan (CERP).

MRCS President, Levison Changole, described the donation as a milestone in the organization’s day to day work which centres around interacting with people in the community.

He said the organization’s volunteers need protection as they work in the community and that the donation has come at the right time when MRCS is complementing government in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

“It is a great honour for us to be considered for the donation alongside government; this is a clear recognition of the dedication of our volunteers in serving the nation as we play our constitutional role complementing government’s efforts,” said Changole.

TDB representative, Peter Kelvin Simbani, said the Bank felt duty-bound to make the donation to Malawi government and MRCS considering how the country, like many others in the region, is struggling to contain the pandemic.

Simbani, who is Non-Executive Director for Malawi, Burundi, Seychelles, Ethiopia and Madagascar on the TDB Board of Directors, said as a Bank they are always very grateful to their member states, including Malawi.

The MK37million-worth PPE donation include face masks, gumboots, surgical aprons, and infrared thermometers and some of these will be distributed to all health centres in Mangochi.