Covid Cases Continue To Fall After Government Relaxes Rules

The number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Zambia has continued to fall following an increase in the number of vaccinations and a relaxing in public health measures by the government.  

On Sunday, health officials recorded 54 new cases out of 1,715 tests. This is down from a peak of over 3,700 daily cases in early January. Cases have continued to fall week on week since February. 

The fall follows an increase in the rollout of the country’s vaccination program, with over 2 million Zambians fully vaccinated – roughly 12% of the population – and a further 1.2 million having received one dose.

Cumulative deaths from the pandemic in Zambia currently stand at 3,968, however there have been no recorded deaths from Covid-19 in the past week.

In response to the consistently low case rates, on April 1st Health Minister Sylvia Masebo announced a significant relaxing of the previous restrictions, including an end to PCR testing for fully-vaccinated travellers entering the country.

Workplaces and schools were told to return to normal operations and public gathering such as weddings, concerts and sports events were allowed to resume without special licenses.