COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Zambia in March 2020.[2]

COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationZambia
First outbreakWuhan, China
Index caseLusaka
Arrival date18 March 2020
(5 months and 1 day)
Confirmed cases9,343 (as of 16 August)[1]
Active cases671 (as of 16 August)
Recovered8,412 (as of 16 August)
Deaths
260 (as of 9 August)

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[3][4]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[5][6] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[7][5] Model-based simulations for Zambia suggest that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t exceeds 1.[8]

Timeline

March 2020

As of 17 March, the government had shut all educational institutions and put in place some restrictions on foreign travel.[9] Zambia reported its first 2 cases of COVID-19 in Lusaka on 18 March. The patients were a couple that had travelled to France on holiday.[10] A third case was recorded on 22 March. The patient was a man who had travelled to Pakistan.[11] On 25 March, President Edgar Lungu confirmed a total of 12 cases during a live national address.[12]

During March, 36 persons tested positive. All 36 cases remained active at the end of the month.[13]

April 2020

Zambia recorded its first death on 2 April.[14] In total during the month, 70 persons tested positive and three died. The number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak reached 106. The number of active cases at the end of the month was 48 (an increase by 33% from March).[15]

May 2020

By 5 May, the number of COVID-19 deaths had risen to four.[16]

As of 22 May, Zambia recorded 920 COVID-19 positive cases against 20,011 people screened and tested. The president Edgar Lungu confirmed that the country had recorded 7 deaths and a total number of 336 recoveries.[17][18]

By 27 May, Zambia had recorded a total of 137 new cases in the previous five days, bringing the total to 1,057. Secretary to the Cabinet in Zambia, Dr. Simon Miti, confirmed that the country had recorded 443 recoveries over the previous five days bringing the total to 779. The recorded deaths remained at 7 and the active cases were at 271.[19]

June 2020

On June 23, the country approved an eight billion kwacha (US$439 million) economic stimulus package through a COVID-19 bond.[20]

In June there were 437 confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak to 1,594. The death toll rose to 24. By the end of the month there were 241 active cases, a decrease by 11% from the end of May.[21]

July 2020

There were 4,369 new cases in July, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 5,963. The death toll rose by 127 to 151. The total number of recovered patients reached 3,803. There were 2,009 active cases at the end of the month.[22]

Impact on education

On 17 March 2020, the Zambian government announced that all schools, colleges and universities would be closed on Friday 20 March. [23]

General Education Minister David Mabumba announced that the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation - ZNBC - would open a channel dedicated to the provision of education during the closure of schools. Mr. Mabumba said that the new ZNBC channel would start on 13 April 2020.

Mr Mabumba said for those who cannot access Television there would be other educational programs on radio. The minister said government would further introduce e-learning and other measures to allow pupils access to education. [24]

Authoritarianism

The Zambian government has been accused of using the pandemic as cover for growing authoritarianism, suspending parliament to prevent the rejection of the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill that would weaken democratic institutions, as well as shutting down the main private television station on the basis that it refused to run government COVID-19 advertisements for free.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Worldometers - Zambia Coronavirus Tracker". Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. Chilufya, Chitalu (17 March 2020). "PRESS BRIEFINGON COVID-19". Ministry Of Health, Zambia.
  3. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  4. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  5. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  7. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  8. Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
  9. "Government shuts all schools to prevent COVID-19 outbreak". News Diggers. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  10. "Zambia Confirms 2 Covid-19 cases". News Diggers. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  11. "Zambia confirms third coronavirus case". News Diggers. 22 March 2020. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  12. "Lungu's full address: Zambia confirms 12 COVID-19 cases as lock down looms". News Diggers. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  13. "Broken economy and the Coronavirus, a double tragedy for Zambia". The Mast. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  14. "Ministry of Health Zambia". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  15. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 102" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 May 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  16. Lusaka Times (5 May 2020). "Fourth COVID-19 Death recorded in Zambia". Lusakatimes.com.
  17. Lungu, Edgar (22 May 2020). "Fifth Address To The Nation On COVID-19 By His Excellency, Dr,Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President Of Republic Of Zambia". State House Press Office - Zambia - Facebook. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  18. Lungu, Edgar (22 May 2020). "5th National Address On COVID-19 His Excellency,Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu, President Of The Republic Of Zambia -22nd May 2020" (PDF). State House. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  19. Miti, Simon (27 May 2020). "Now it's Chilufya". Zambia Daily Mail.
  20. "News and Insights". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  21. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). www.who.int. 1 July 2020. p. 6. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  22. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). www.who.int. 1 August 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  23. "Zambia : Zambia to shut down all schools this Friday as Coronavirus outbreak looms". LusakaTimes.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  24. "ZNBC TO OPEN EDUCATIONAL CHANNEL". znbc. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  25. "In Zambia, Covid-19 has claimed democracy, not human life". The Mail & Guardian. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
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