LUSAKA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Zambia risks being overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases due to continued failure by people to adhere to preventive measures, a leading agency responsible for fighting the pandemic said on Monday.
Victor Mukonka, director of the Zambia National Public Health Institute, said a survey conducted has established that the weakest point in Zambia's response to the pandemic was related to compliance.
In remarks delivered at a daily COVID-19 briefing, the official said the country has seen the positivity rate increasing from the initial three percent to the current 30 percent.
"The virus is now ahead of us. We are seeing increased cases and deaths and if we don't act we will be overwhelmed," he said.
According to him, the government will soon focus on providing adequate preventive information at the individual level and urged the media to play a leading role.
"The fight is still on. It is not just government fight. It requires the other side to respond as well," he added.
The country, he said, will continue seeing increased cases due to the windy condition currently obtaining.
Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya said during the same briefing that the country could not continue with business as usual as the cases and deaths have continued escalating.
He said the country needs to ramp up its response to the fight against the pandemic, adding that community engagement is crucial.
The government, he said, will soon deploy police officers in public places to enforce public health measures on the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Zambia recorded 125 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours out of 454 tests, which brought the cumulative cases to 8,210. Enditem
