Malawi recorded 452 new Coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest number of new daily cases since the start of the pandemic.
The number of admitted patients, at 102, is also the highest in the country.
On Monday, Malawi also recorded 14 new recoveries, and ten new deaths.
Of the 452 new cases, 278 are locally transmitted infections: 125 from Lilongwe, 70 from Blantyre, 13 from Karonga, ten each from Mwanza and Nkhotakota, eight from Mulanje, seven each from Machinga and Zomba, six from Dedza, five from Balaka, four each Kasungu and Nsanje, three from Thyolo, two each from Chikwawa and Dowa, and one each from Phalombe, Salima and Neno districts.
There were also 174 cases are imported infections: including 154 identified among 700 residents returning from South Africa who were being held at Mapanga Prison Training School while 20 were identified at Mwanza border through routine screening of people entering the country.
On deaths, four are from Lilongwe, three are from Blantyre, two form Zomba, and one Kasungu.
“We are still observing a rapid increase in the number of new confirmed cases, admission and deaths due to COVID-19 in the past three weeks,” said Chairperson of the Presidential Taskforce John Phuka.
He then urged people to continue following preventive measures as directed by health authorities.
Cumulatively, Malawi has recorded 9,027 cases including 235 deaths. Of these cases, 1,852 are imported infections and 7,175 are locally transmitted.
A total of 5,838 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 2,744. Of the active cases, 102 active cases are admitted: 45 in Blantyre, 31 in Lilongwe, five in Zomba, four in Mzimba South, three each in Mzimba North, Karonga, and Nkhotakota, two each in Balaka and Chikwawa, and one each in Dowa, Mchinji, Rumphi, and Mulanje Districts.
In the past 24 hours, 1,696 COVID-19 tests were conducted, 147 of the new tests were through SARS-COV-2 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic test while the rest were through RT-PCR and cumulatively, 97,429 tests, have been conducted in the country so far.
