Malawi has today recorded 373 new cases and 19 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 9,400 and the death toll to 254.
Of the new cases, 371 of the new cases are locally transmitted infections: 132 are from Lilongwe, 92 from Blantyre, 29 from Zomba, 13 from Mangochi, 12 from Balaka, 10 from Kasungu, nine from Dowa, eight each from Nsanje and Ntcheu, seven from Chikwawa, six each from Chikwawa and Thyolo, five from Rumphi, four each from Mzimba South, Karonga, Dedza, Mulanje, and Phalombe, three from Nkhata Bay, two each from Mzimba North and Neno, and one from Chiradzulu Districts while two cases are imported infections and both are from Balaka District.
Six of the new deaths are from Lilongwe, five from Blantyre, four Mzimba North (Mzuzu), two from Zomba, and one each from Balaka and Phalombe Districts. Our hearts go out to families that have lost loved ones due to COVID-19.
The number of deaths recorded today is the highest is the highest daily toll since the pandemic started. The number of admissions is also the highest.
“It is trying times for our country, but all is not lost. We should not despair or lose hope as we can stop the spread of the disease if all of us act decisively and choose to adhere to the preventive measures,” said John Phuka, chairperson of the Presidential Taskforce on Coronavirus.
He added that it is clear from the president’s directive that to effectively reduce and stop the coronavirus from spreading, there is need for a collective effort to contain the pandemic by comprehensively following all the preventive and containment.
Of the 9,400 cases recorded, 1,832 are imported infections and 7,568 are locally transmitted.
Cumulatively, 5,852 cases have now recovered, 134 were lost to follow-up, and 76 are still being investigated to ascertain their outcome. This brings the total number of active cases to 3,084. Of the active cases 117 are admitted.
Kasungu, Karonga, and Nkhotakota, two each in Balaka, Mulanje, and Chikwawa, and one each in Dowa, and Mchinji. The average age of the cases is 35 years, the youngest case being aged two weeks, the oldest being 98 years old and 67.3% are male.
On testing, in the past 24 hours, 1,451 COVID-19 tests were conducted, 647 of the new tests were through SARS-COV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic test while the rest were through RT-PCR and cumulatively, 98,864 tests, have been conducted in the country so far.
