LUSAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's cumulative COVID-19 cases on Sunday crossed the 100,000 mark as the pandemic gains momentum in the third wave.
The country has also started seeing a rise in the number of COVID-19 associated deaths.
Health authorities are concerned and are projecting a continued rise in cases as the cold season progresses.
The country's cumulative cases now stand at 100,278 following 738 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours. The new cases were picked from 6,987 tests done.
Five people died during the same period, bringing the total deaths to 1,308. While 338 patients were discharged, bringing the total recoveries to 93,374.
"Whereas we initially only saw a rise in the number of new cases at the beginning of the third wave, we are now seeing an increase in the number of deaths. In the past one week we have been losing on average five people per day," Kennedy Malama, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in charge of technical services said.
The health ministry has since increased its hospital capacity in order to meet the demand by providing support and technical assistance to all provinces.
Huge gatherings and failure to adhere to preventive guidelines are being blamed for the rise in cases.
So far political campaigns ahead of this year's general elections have been banned while public workers have been told to work on a rotational basis.
But the political parties seem to have disregarded the ban as huge rallies are still being held.
On the other hand, poor adherence to preventive measures among members of the public is still rife in the country.
Health experts have warned that flouting of preventive guidelines will worsen the situation unless pragmatic steps are taken to enforce the measures.
The Medical for Quality Healthcare in Zambia (MQHZ) said strict adherence to the guidelines as well as other interventions such as the vaccination program are important in order to contain the pandemic.
"We urge all Zambians to recognize that the country is not yet out of the woods. Therefore, people must continue observing COVID-19 protocols," Mulenga Lwansa, the organization's Quality Assurance Director said.
Zambia recorded its first COVID-19 case on March 18, 2020, and immediately put in place a multi-sectoral approach to combat the pandemic.
In April this year, the country launched a vaccination program as an addition to the response which is being done in a phased manner. Enditem
