Mozambique may have reached the COVID-19 peak

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Mozambique may have reached the COVID-19 peak

4:09 CAT | 17 Nov 2020

Photo: MISAU

The Mozambican Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, claimed on Monday that the country might have reached the peak of the respiratory coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) between September and October, as the number of cases has been gradually slowing down.

“Our data analysis shows that Mozambique most probably reached the peak between September and October and we are now following the downward trend phase of the disease,” said Tiago, after launching the pilot phase of a seasonal anti-malaria campaign in the district of Malema in the northern province of Nampula.

But Tiago pointed out that Maputo city and province are still recording over 60 per cent of the country’s Covid-19 cases.

“Theoretically, the Covid-19 situation in Mozambique is stabilising to some extent, despite some fluctuations”, said the Minister. “The situation remains very critical in the Maputo metropolitan area and the surrounding province where, almost every day, over 60 per cent of the country’s cases are recorded”.

However, he pointed out that, by and large, there has been a lack of a strict compliance with the preventive measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Tiago said that in almost every province, there has been a relaxation of measures initially implemented very sternly, including regular hand washing, the use of face masks and physical distancing.

Regarding the rainy season, he said the adoption of measures intended to prevent an outbreak of disease was a common responsibility.

“The responsibility for preparation should not only fall on the health sector, but is collective because every rainy season there are a couple of diseases which spike,” said the minister, stressing that on a cyclical basis the authorities must be prepared to cope with the high demand posed by outbreak of diarrhoea and malaria.

Tiago claimed that the number of malaria cases and deaths has dropped over the first nine months of this year. In 2019, the number of critical malaria cases reached 59,000 but this year the figure is below 47,000.

As for the seasonal chemoprophylaxis malaria campaign, the pilot phase of which has begun in Malema and Mecuburi districts, he said the results will be extremely important to determine the next move for other places in Nampula province.

Source: AIM