Coronavirus: UNICEF Malawi COVID-19 Situation Report (9 to 15 July 2020)

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Reporting Period: 9 to 15 July 2020

Highlights

• Malawi is now the second country in the SADC region with the highest number of COVID-19 cases next to South Africa. As of 12 July, the number of COVID-19 fatalities increased by 63 per cent from 19 in the past week to 38.
• On 6 July 2020, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 announced that schools will not reopen on 13 July 2020, as previously suggested. This is due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
• Since the beginning of the COVID-19 response, UNICEF has supported the installation of 66 latrines at emergency treatment units, hospitals, returnee holding centres and border posts in Blantyre, Mangochi, Mzuzu, Karonga, Mchinji, Mwanza, and Machinga districts as part of the infection prevention and control measures.
• A total of 292 returnees from South Africa at Machinga Teachers Training College returnee holding centre benefited from Psychological First Aid in the period of 9 to 10 July.

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Situation Overview

In the past one week, Malawi has registered a 33 per cent increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases from 1,818 to 2,430. The number of fatalities also increased by 63 per cent from 19 in the past week to 39 this week. Of the total cases so far registered, 811 are imported infections compared to 1,619 that are locally transmitted – a clear indication of community transmission.

Out of the 1,644 active cases as of 12 July, 1,560 are being managed as outpatients under the “self-isolation” guidance while nine are under institutional quarantine. So far, 577 cases have recovered. Malawi is now the second country in the SADC region with the highest number of COVID-19 cases next to South Africa with reported community transmission.

Returnees and deportees continued to arrive in the country mainly from South Africa. As of 12 July, the country has received 1,977 returnees.

Testing capacity remains at 43 laboratories (14 RT-PCR and 29 GeneXpert). So far, laboratory tests have been carried out on 20,098 samples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).