Over 800 New COVID-19 Cases Reported

Official reports recorded 825 new COVID-19 cases in the country over the last 24hrs, as the third wave of the pandemic hits. 

Out of 10,949 tests completed, over 800 picked up cases of COVID-19, a senior government official reported.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health in charge of Technical Services, Kennedy Malama, said that the evolving situation was placing a strain on health workers fighting the pandemic. 

“No Zambian is safe at the rate that we are recording new cases. During the second wave, we saw the same scepticism we are seeing now, and then the number became the names and faces of people close to us,” he said during a press briefing.

Increased strain on health workers as a result of an increase in cases comes during the government’s failure to pay health staff, owing over K800 million in salary arrears. Subsequently, healthcare workers have had to work harder as a result of the country’s fight against COVID-19 whilst receiving no payment from the government.  

Photo: Xinhua