Malawians give mixed reactions international health organizations views on coronavirus
Malawians have given mixed reactions on the World Health Organisation’s and Centre for Disease Control backing of the coronavirus cases figures in the country.
WHO representative Nonhlanhla Rosemary Dlamin respond to some of the emerging issues regarding coronavirus
Some Malawians said the 33 figure of the coronavirus cases in the country was cooked up by the government to scare people so that the Constitutional Court sanctioned presidential election should not happen on July 2.
But WHO and CDC have said the 33 Covid-19 positive cases that Malawi has announced so far, is an accurate figure.
WHO representative Nonhlanhla Rosemary Dlamini and CDC country director Andrew Auld made the remarks at a joint press briefing with government officials held in Lilongwe on Friday.
The stand by the two international organisations come amidst growing mistrust amongst some Malawians that the results of Covid-19 cases being announced are being doctored.
According to the two officials, a top-notch laboratory in Lilongwe where testing is being done has qualified personnel and equipment.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Jappie Mhango has said through Ministry of Labour in consultation with Employers Association Malawi, Malawi Conferederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Malawi Congress of Trade Union and other unions have developed work guidelines to promote business and safeguard jobs amid covid-19 outbreak.
Among others, Mhango says employers must provide employees information and communicate on impact of the disease,introduce working from home measures, employees to take annual leave in advance, introduce pandemic leave when an employee has a suspected viral infection among others.
Where are the covid-19 patients in the country? I remember some organisations accepted the tippexed election results to be fair and clear,but they were wrong.When the government lies too much,citizens don’t believe anything from them, even if the government says truth,people will say it’s all lies.Malawi needs honest leaders and public officials.
This country has one of the stupid opposition . The way Chakwera behaves and speaks one would doubt if he is a trained pastor. No wonder he fell out of the hand of God in favour of worldly things. Chakwera and the satanic leagues of Livingstonia Synod have no spirit of God in them because it departed long time ago.
It is the government that has a problem in Malawi.Do not blame Opposition mayi.The government was supposed to involved opposition and other stakeholders.Instead they were trying to solve problem by themselves.Honest and transparent was not there.Dpp has messed up our country.
Was the press conference organised by CDC and WHO or by the government? What was the main purpose of this press conference?
Does it mean that when the tests are being conducted at the Coronavirus labs across the country CDC and WHO send their representatives to monitor the tests? If not what evidence do they have that the test samples indeed came from the said 33 people who the government claims have tested positive including the 10 from Kaliyeka? Bear in mind that it the said Kaliyeka relatives who were on Zodiac the other day denying that they were tested.
If the press conference was arranged by the government then it means that CDC and WHO representatives were just invited to bear witness to the authenticity of the test results that they have not been part of when they were being carried out in the lab and the question is, what was the motive of the government in this press briefing?
The government should not abuse its powers to twist the arm of these organisations to back their story in order to scare people in this country.
First of all it is important to understand that the coronavirus test is not easy or bulletproof. For example the UK announced this week that the coronavirus tests kits they have been using which I believe are the same as the ones used in Malawi are only 70% accurate. Which means 30% of the test results in the UK have been false and this is why it is important to repeat the tests a few times before rushing to tell the nation how many positive tests you have…. just because you just want to scare people to accept the much needed lockdown to avoid the July election.
The other point I would to make is on the so much talked about lockdown, the problem we have in Africa is that our leaders like to copy things from the western world without really understanding the reason why.
For example, in the UK and most European countries, the lock down was implemented in order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus so that the hospitals can cope in the short term while on the other hand the government was increasing capacity of the intensive care beds.
Lockdowns are not a solution to completely stop Coronavirus or the covid 19 disease, that is impossible because we still have open borders not to mention the porous borders which we can never manage to seal. Lockdown is just a measure to slow down the spread so that the government can increase capacity in our hospitals but there is a massive trade of with the economy.
Now if the Malawi government want to implement a lockdown they should tell the nation exactly what they want to achieve during that lockdown. Because with the lock down there are dare economic consequences that should be taken into account as the western world has realised.
You can see that most European countries are now ending their lockdowns although they still have tens of thousands of covid 19 cases because their economies can not cope any longer, they are collapsing. Now Malawian leaders want to implement a lockdown while we only have 33 cases, and the question I have for them is this, what exactly do you want to achieve and what is your exist strategy out of the lockdown? 40% of our economy depends on donors who are now suffering from the impact of covid 19, if you lockdown the country have you done your calculations to understand the impact to the economy and have you figured out how you will recover from if without donors?
For Malawi the lockdown is worse than the disease itself, what we need is to encourage social distancing, hand washing, and most importantly testing and contact tracing and then quarantine and treatment for those testing positive.
Just exposing our ignorance and our being uncivilized to the whole world we Malawians. Same.like what some.very rural rural people in DRC do in times of Ebola outbreak, chasing away doctors claiming Ebola doesn’t exist pomwe anthu akufa ndi Ebola. Umbuli amalawi uzatithera.liti ? What is there to dispute about existence of corona in Malawi ? I feel poty that even oir so called members of patliament are at the foefront disputing existence of corona in Malawi, you guys are you serious ? Akanati koma.kuli opopa magazi, nde number 1 kukhulupilira, zinthu zopanda umboni, no science involved, but these.things are science based, there’s objective evidence in the lab, but you can’t believe science. Mukufuna boma.lizichita kuika mu news ma results and the procedures used for u to believe ? Are you telling me that government has only.tested thise 33 ppo basi and found them positive ? The.govt has so far tested many people, and only a few (33) have been.found positive. Why hasnt the govt declared all those tested positive if yoi say they are cooking up those figures ? Too pathetic. I cry for my beloved Malawi, some.of the people i was regarding educated and exposed are not to that level. Ignorance is still a.very big setback in Malawi, including from our own.leaders.
And.perhaps many are disputing the results becoz not all who have tested positive are becoming sick. You .manyasa, this is the trend in all the world. 80 percent of all ppo carrying the.virus do not.become seriously sick, only 20 percent need medical attention. Don’t yoi.follow.these as well ? Shaaaaaa. Welcome.to Malawi, better South Sudan.ndithu, koma this.country is.very pathetic and pittiful.
The problem is the way the Govt is communicating with the citizens by not providing adequate information. If people are not being provided with information that they want to hear, it is difficult to trust what they are being told. There are a lot of white spaces that need to be filled so that the people can have confidence in how the Govt is dealing with the epidemic.
Whether with WHO and CDC backing or not… the truth is that we r voting this July… and your gues on who is going to win the election is good as mine…
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When the leadership is not trusted. The DPP Leadership will never be trusted. People are just tired with them. People are waiting on the day these people will disappear.
It is a GAME planned by DPP and APM Ministry of Health if that is the Case How and Why the Covid 2019 Patients are then selves claiming that there had been proper check ups and Test done by DHO officer Doctors and actually they are Negative Cases
Even International observers said elections were free and fair its good Malawians learnt a lesson don’t trust these foreigners and big belly crooks in govt. with data, self researching and following up data is the key!!
Shame on Chakwera, Chilima, HRDC and judges. They are the ones who are minimising coronavirus.
Thanks to WHO and CDC for coming out to back the coronavirus results. The opposition is running a vicious propaganda campaign just because its leaders (Chakwera and Chilima) are power hungry. Malawi risks being severely affected by COVID because of the doubts the opposition is putting in people’s minds.
i was expecting WHO & it”s partner to replicate test on the questioned cases to confirm the results and not just checking labs resources lol.
Azitseka Za opposition pakamwa. Tsopano ndi mutani poti a WHO ndi CDC akuti ndizoona Kuti Korona alipo?
kuculutsa ma pose a malawi ,mabwana ake a zinthuzi nkhani yake ndiyo ti cithumba asuzumilamo nndani yao ija. ngati tikadapempha cithandizo ca ma floods a 2011.
bury your hands in between your legs.
CDC kwathu kuno ikadali mma ankles. tili kutali zeedi ndipo ma billions anasakazidwa mpaka lelo pano dziko lino tili patali.
citoes are just like a mare high street in other countries . a mare town.
our boses enjoy holidays abroad ena amangoti akupita ku business trip ena kongokaceza ndi zibwezi kaya azakazao on oit taxes osati ya salary yao.
ma minister kha mps citukuko anta. amanamiza anthu ao kungobweretsa ka project koti anthu a mmadera mwaomo sakucidzowa. contracor wake amabweretsa pkha. ok koma umangodziwa kuti yaaa ma taxes athu omwe.
maka kudzangothokoza anthuao powasankha. basi ndalama zina mmatumba mwao..
kuli nyasi zeeedi ku malawi kuno.
Malawians now becoming more cleverer than professionals of international accolade. Challenging WHO and CDC. Kuchenjera tu mopusa koma