Zambia records 27 new COVID-19 deaths, 2nd highest since pandemic began

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambia on Monday reported 27 COVID-19 deaths, the second-highest daily spike since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The Southern African nation is now "seriously" considering a lockdown to control the current third wave of the pandemic, said Kennedy Malama, an official at the Health Ministry.

With 1,388 new cases, the cumulative number has reached 113,134 infections, 1,416 related deaths and 98,994 recoveries.

“There are currently 12,724 active cases, of whom 12,060 are under community management and 664 admitted to COVID-19 isolation facilities. Of the admissions, 442 are on oxygen therapy and 105 are in critical condition,” he said.

With the increasing demand for oxygen in the overwhelmed health facilities, the ministry announced it is scheduled to purchase over 2,000 oxygen cylinders to increase its stocks.

Zambia is currently administering Sinopharm, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines to its population of just over 18 million. As many as 147,115 doses were administered until June 2, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website.