The National Institute of Health (INS) considered it "premature" to strengthen measures for the prevention of covid-19 in the country in view of the increase of cases in neighboring South Africa.

"Right now, the prospects [for covid-19 control] are very favorable both in Mozambique as well as in the region" of southern Africa, said Sergio Chicumbe, director of Health Surveys and Observation at INS, speaking to the Mozambique Information Agency (AIM).

Chicumbe advanced that the rates of positivity, hospitalizations, and cumulative incidence of cases are at such a low level in the country that new restrictions for pandemic prevention are not justified for the time being.

"When a large number of inpatients are at risk of mortality, more restrictive measures are justified" in order to "protect the National Health Service".

Sérgio Chicumbe said that the new wave of the new coronavirus in South Africa justifies an alert situation in Mozambique and other neighboring countries.

"Border surveillance is established and strengthened and this is a guarantee of monitoring the situation," Chicumbe assured.

On the other hand, he continued, Mozambique has a good vaccination coverage against covid-19, a situation that may contribute to protect the country from a more serious picture, in case of new waves of infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that weekly recorded cases of covid-19 have quadrupled in South Africa over the past three weeks, making it the leading country responsible for the increase in covid-19 cases in southern Africa for the third week in a row as the region approaches winter.

"This increase in cases is a warning sign that we are monitoring closely," said WHO's director of emergency preparedness and response for southern Africa, Abdou Salam Gueye.