Blantyre DHO warns against relaxation towards Covid-19

Blantyre District Health Office has urged residents of Blantyre to continue adhering to Covid-19 prevention measures despite the decline in new infections in the district and nationwide.

Speaking during a Covid-19 press briefing update in Blantyre on Wednesday, District Medical Officer for Blantyre, Dr Fatsani Zaziwe Gunda said people’s adherence to Covid-19 preventive measures remained critical towards the drop in Covid-19 cases in the district.

“We are doing better as a district and I must commend people for following Covid-19 prevention measures such as wearing of masks, washing hands with soap and observing social distance,” Gunda said.

Blantyre experienced a surge of Covid-19 cases in July but the cases have dropped drastically over the past few weeks, a development Gunda described as a huge success.

Despite the accomplishment, Gunda expressed concern with people’s reduced adherence to Covid-19 prevention measures as most people are no longer observing the set preventive measures which could trigger another challenge.

“Covid-19 is not over yet. We should expect another phase of this pandemic should we continue to relax especially now that schools have opened and many social activities like sports are starting soon,” he said.

Gunda, therefore, applauded government, the media and other partners for working tirelessly in response to Covid-19, by among others, training health workers, sensitizing communities and conducting Covid-19 screening.

He, however, assured communities of the hospital’s commitment to continue implementing measures to fight the pandemic to the end.

In a related development, Swoop Aero, an Australian based aeromedical logistics company has come in to render its support to the country with air transportation of Covid-19 test samples and results between Mwanza Border and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) using drones.

Malawi Project Manager for Swoop Aero, Martin Carrell said the development will facilitate speedy mobility of samples from Mwanza Border to Covid-19 laboratories at QECH labs and timely delivery of results, compared to road transport as has been the case.

“We understand that Mwanza Border will be getting busier with more entries now that South Africa is opening up. Our aim is to reduce the time people wait for their results to be delivered at the border; hence, improving the efficiency of the border and immigration services,” said Carrell.

Swoop Aero also works with the Ministry of Health in flood-prone districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje in delivery of medical supplies.

The company has joined the band of partners supporting Blantyre DHO and Malawi Government in fighting the pandemic. Other partners include Malawi Red Cross Society, UNICEF, AGPAF and DREAM, among others.