Fewer cases of Covid-19 that Malawi has recently been reporting can be accredited to an alleged order to reduce the number of Covid-19 testing.
The order, allegedly issued by those in authorities, is concealing the actual number of positive cases currently on the ground.
Known worldwide as the Trump order, Malawi, if the order has indeed been issued, joins countries that want to mislead the world of cases.
In January, Malawi experienced its deadliest month of the pandemic with about 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths recorded in four weeks.
Testing also picked up from less than 700 tests/day in four of the first five days of the month, to an average of about 2,000 in the week from January 8 to January 14.
Between January 19 and January 24, Malawi broke records in daily cases, recording 1,198 cases from 3,143 tests on January 21 and 1,316 cases (the highest so far) from 3,108 on January 22.
This month, cases have been decreasing and so has testing. The highest number of daily tests conducted in the last seven days is 2,020 on February 12 when 360 cases were recorded. There were 963 tests on February 14 and 929 tests on February 15 as well as 1,364 on February 16 and 1,316 yesterday.
The trend seems to support claims that the Lazarus Chakwera administration has adopted the low testing strategy with the logic that there will be fewer cases.
We have contacted both Ministry of Health spokesperson, Joshua Malango, and Government Information Minister Gospel Kazako who serves as spokesperson for the government on these allegations.
Both of them opted for silence without reply despite seeing the questions.
