Watch: Covid-19 third wave pushing Mozambique “into dramatic situation”, warns minister

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Watch: Covid-19 third wave pushing Mozambique “into dramatic situation”, warns minister

8:14 CAT | 09 Jul 2021

Image: TVM

Mozambican Health Minister Armindo Tiago on Wednesday warned that the country may face “extremely critical moments” during the third wave of Covid-19 infection, because all the indicators used to monitor the pandemic are showing a deterioration.

Speaking at a Maputo press conference, Tiago said the recent data, and the experience of other countries in the southern African region, show that the third wave will be more serious than the first two.

If the current, worsening trend continues, he added, the country could reach a dramatic situation in the coming weeks, with an “unbearable number” of Covid-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

“Our capacity to hospitalise patients and to provide oxygen for them could become exhausted in some provinces”, he said.

Tiago pointed out that, in the first six days of July, 5,942 Covid-19 cases and 45 deaths were recorded, which is more than were registered in the entire month of June.

“The situation we are experiencing in these first days if July is more serious than in early January (at the start of the second wave)”, he said. Furthermore, in June “there were six times as many cases and twice as many deaths than in May. So the number of cases and deaths we are recording in early July confirm the trend of a critical increase in the transmission of the new coronavirus in Mozambique”.
In Maputo city, and in Maputo, Sofala, Manica and Tete provinces, some Covid-19 indicators, Tiago continued, are at “level red”, which is the highest level of alert.

Elsewhere in the region, the third wave had begun earlier than in Mozambique, and these countries, the Minister said, are now in a dramatic epidemiological and social situation. In South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the number of people requiring hospitalisation is exceeding the availability of beds for Covid-19 patients.

“The high number of hospitalisations has resulted in a shortage of oxygen to treat people who are moderately and seriously ill, contributing to greater mortality”, Tiago continued. “In the absence of oxygen, deaths are occurring, not only among the seriously ill patients, but also among patients who initially had only moderate symptoms”.

Faced with the high transmission of the virus in Mozambique, Tiago stressed it is imperative and urgent to improve implementation of the measures to restrict the spread of the virus. “This is the only way we can avoid the worst consequences of the third wave”, he declared.

He warned that, in the context of high transmission, there are likely to be many infected people in the communities who show no symptoms. “In our workplace, on public transport, in shops or markets, the person next to us may be infected with the coronavirus, but without any symptoms”, he said. That meant that citizens should avoid leaving their homes without good reason.

“The seriousness of the epidemiological situation is a recommendation that we should avoid holding private parties and other social events”, he added. “Prevention of Covid-19 is a duty for all of us. Success of failure in containing the third wave will be the consequence of our collective action”.