Asymptomatic Covid-19 Patients In Nakonde To Stay At Home - Chilufya

Health Minister Dr Chitalu Chilufya has announced that Nakonde residents who test positive for Covid-19 but display no outward symptoms will be treated in their homes in order to free up spaces in isolation facilities for more serious cases. 

It follows news over the weekend that no new cases have been recorded in Nakonde, while 66 cases were detected in Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital (UTH). 

Speaking at the daily Covid-19 update on Saturday, Dr Chilufya explained that these new measures would allow authorities to cope with the expected influx of cases to Nakonde through its border with Tanzania. 

“We will need to manage the cases. If we are talking of high positivity rate of close to 60 percent, then we should try to see who we are managing and here in Nakonde, we have adopted a community based model,” he said. 

He added that the elderly and those with underlying health conditions who test positive for Covid-19 will also be treated in isolation facilities regardless of symptoms. 

Community based managers will oversee those isolating in their homes, to ensure they are not putting other members of their household at risk. Family members will also be tested and those unable to isolate effectively will be moved to a centralised facility. 

Authorities are still waiting on the results of 150 tests conducted in Nakonde, which are being processed at a facility in Chinsali. 

There are currently 105 patients from Nakonde in isolation: 26 in Nakonde itself and 79 in Chinsali General Hospital.

31 patients were discharged over the weekend from various isolation facilities across the country, including 20 health workers. 

The total number of confirmed cases in Zambia now stands at 753.