According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the new corona variant called XBB 1.5 has been detected in South Africa, China, and other 25 countries.
Speaking to Malawi News Agency Dr. Nkhoma said they have put in place a number of monitoring tools for the occurrence of new cases of Covid19 in the country.
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“Malawi continues to monitor the occurrence of new cases and circulating variants to promote Covid-19 Vaccination and boosters to increase the level of immunity amongst the population; to promote the use of social and public health preventive measures.
“To add on that, those aged 12 years and older entering through our borders must show evidence of full Covid19 vaccinations, or show a negative PCR-based test result conducted within 72 hours of arrival into the country,” he said
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Dr. Nkhoma has appealed to Malawians to continue observing existing Covid19 preventive measures.
“Malawi just like all other countries is strengthening measures already established for the control of earlier viruses and variants because it has been shown that the XBB 1.5 and other such variants of omicron virus respond just as well to all the existing preventive measures,” he said.
“World Health Organisation continues to monitor how the variants continue to behave and respond to current control measures, including the available vaccines,” he said.
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Commenting on the matter, Executive Director for Malawi Health Equity Network-MHEN George Jobe has urged Malawians to get vaccinated as one way of having self-defense from any form of corona variant.
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“The fact that it has been identified in South Africa is of great concern to us in southern Africa. We need to study this variant more. My appeal goes to Malawians and the Government of Malawi to ensure that a lot of people should get vaccinated for Covid-19,” he said