12 Jan 2021

Monday’s announcement of eleven COVID-19 deaths in a period of three days should be a lesson to Batswana that the pandemic is now getting out of hand. 

  This was said by Ministry of Health and Wellness permanent secretary Mr Kabelo Ebineng when briefing the nation on the COVID-19 situation in the country yesterday.

   Mr Ebineng said it was evident that the COVID-19 pandemic was now threatening health facilities as isolation centres were now filling up with symptomatic cases.

  The rapidly increasing numbers of COVID-19 deaths and positive cases were a great concern, particularly since the country had limited resources, he said.

He said it was now incumbent on everyone to make sure that all the COVID-19 protocols were followed to avoid infection.

Speaking on the same occasion,  Department of Health Services director, Dr Malebogo Kebabonye said the new variant had been discovered in the country, mostly in the Ngami region.

She said a lot of tests conducted in the region revealed that people who attended a gathering in Maun had the strain similar to the one discovered in South Africa last year.

Some of the people who attended the gathering were from outside the country, she said.

Regarding vaccination, Dr Kebabonye said efforts were ongoing to secure the much needed vaccine which would be administered accordingly immediately it became available.    

On the burial of COVID-19 victims, she said they should be buried within three days further advising  that there should be no viewing of corpses.

Dr Kebabonye said health officials would continue to advise bereaved families so as to guard against the spread of coronavirus.

She urged members of the community to take heed of advice given by ministry officials regarding the handling of corpses of those who succumbed to COVID-19.

Regarding movement restrictions across zones, she said people should always apply for inter zonal permits.

She reminded those travelling outside or entering the country that they were required to produce COVID-19 negative certificate obtained within 72 hours of travel.

Meanwhile Mr Ebineng has stated that it was time for an operational management shift in a bid to avert the pandemic,.

Community involvement in fighting COVID-19 was the only hope to assist the government in fighting the pandemic, he stated. 

Mr Ebineng called on individuals, communities and the private sector to join hands and help government to fight the spread of the pandemic. The challenge, he said, needed concerted efforts from all sectors. Ends