Africa CDC urges Zambia to be wary of second COVID-19 surge

Workers disinfect the Zambezi market in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, May 15, 2020. /Xinhua

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday urged Zambia to be wary of the second surge of COVID-19 which other countries on the continent have started experiencing.

Visiting Deputy Director of the Africa CDC Ahmed Ouma said although Zambia was not one of the listed countries for the second wave of the pandemic, there was a need for citizens not to be complacent as the country also has hotspots.

"We are seeing a second wave since the mid of October, the second wave is not uniform across Africa, it is being driven by certain countries because of different socio-economic and particularly environmental factors that exist on the continent," he told reporters during a press briefing.

He however said that despite having the second wave on the African continent the curve was not steep as the first wave and that it was expected to be lower than the first one.

The CDC, he said, was supporting Zambia with rapid responders to help in combating the further spread of the pandemic.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Kennedy Malama said the country still faces threats from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the country has continued recording severe COVID-19 cases especially for patients with underlying health conditions.

Zambia so far recorded cumulative 18,015 cases following 52 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Zambia Institute of Public Health.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency