Environmental Health Officer (EHO) for Dowa District Hospital, Precious Mzungu, has sounded Serve Our Souls (SOS) Covid-19 pandemic support to help the District Health Office (DHO) to lead in the fight against Covid-19 in the district.
Mzungu observed that during the Covid-19 first and second wave, partners joined hands together in providing support to the District Health Office lamenting that in this third wave, none of the partners has come forward to assist the office in the management and containment measures except ONSE which is doing it here and there.
He said the district has from June this year, been registering confirmed cases at an alarming rate, a crucial period which partners could have joined together in supporting the DHO office but all are silent as if the district is not registering the figures at all hence an appeal to all partners to do a little and prevent many in the fight against Covid-19 in the district.
Briefing the District executive committee at a meeting held at the boma on Thursday, Mzungu said most of the Covid-19 cases being registered in the district are as a result of contact saying follow-ups of such cases is a challenge due lack of resources.
Mzungu said it is sad to note that some people after testing Covid-19 positive do not disclose their status to health workers that they have got it from family members and friends as contacts saying in this way, the virus is spread through contact and to follow-up such cases will demand fuel and allowances to those who will be going to carry out that activity saying this is posing to be a great challenge asking partners to fill the gap.
He said he would have loved if partners declare their interest to support either in their catchment areas or the office of the District so that the support should go to serve many in the prevention of the further spread of the pandemic in the district.
The officer said as of 4th July, 2021, the district has a total of 232 active cases, out of these, 189 are on isolation, 37 are at the institutional isolation centre -Dzaleka camp and has recorded 32 deaths, one being from the local community.
“Cumulatively, Dowa has registered 1,067 cases, 206 are contact cases and seven are at admissions at Dzaleka camp for treatment,”said Mzungu.
He said the office of the DHO has a current plan for Covid-19 and wants to share with the partners, appealing to them to provide fuel and other needs for the officers to travel tracing contacts saying leaving them as it is now without being traced, the district will be recording increase in the number of confirmed cases because of failure to identify the root cause.
In his remarks, District Director for Health and Social Services for Dowa, Dr. Peter Makoza, said Covid-19 pandemic has come to stay and is with the people and the community, calling upon all partners implementing their various interventions in the district to work together so that together they can fight the pandemic in the district as a united force.
Dr. Makoza also took an opportunity of the meeting to announce that from Monday, 9th August, 2021, the district will start administering Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to only those who did not receive Astrazeneca vaccine, appealing to all that received Astrazeneca vaccine to wait for Astrazeneca and not to go for Johnson and Johnson.
“Let’s love one another, there is a target in Malawi to reach out to 12 million people, let us not put our lives at risk by going for both Astrazeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccine, let’s support this fight for Covid-19,”said Dr. Makoza.