COVID-19 Cases Continue To Rise As Hospitals Struggle To Cope

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical Services Dr Kennedy Malama said COVID-19 isolation and treatment facilities are filling up at an exponential rate.

With 88 admissions recorded in the last 24hrs, and 1,767 individuals testing positive for the virus, Dr Malama has demonstrated concern of the level at which hospital beds are filling up with patients suffering from the coronavirus.

In a statement released to the press, Dr Malama said that the COVID-19 satiation in the country is a cause for concern.

He stated that in just “three short weeks” positive COVID-19 test have almost tripled from 1-5% to 12% nationwide.

The strain which the virus is putting on the country’s healthcare system comes at a time in which the government has not been paying doctors and nurses their salaries. Lack of relative pay to senior doctors is also an issue, with progression above an entry-level salary almost impossible as the government struggles to manage its ever rising debts and slow uptake of its mismanaged vaccine programme.

Photo: Divergent News Zambia