Mozambique continues to record Covid-19 levels, with more than two thousand people infected in one day, according to recent data. This Monday, the National Directorate of Public Health presented more alarming data.

Covid-19 continues to be relentless in the country, at a time when the country is being ravaged by the third wave of the disease. According to health authorities, this wave was conditioned by the Delta variant, considered more transmissible, and by human factors, namely the fact that over the past few months there has been a relaxation in the compliance with prevention measures.

The first 19 days of July, which coincides with the start of the third wave, saw an increase in the number of cases of the disease by more than 150%, compared to the second wave, recorded in the first quarter of this year. The number of hospital admissions rose by more than 170% and deaths by about 200%.

This data was shared this Monday (19.07) with the press by the National Director of Public Health. Benigna Matsinhe says that "is being marked this third wave by a great pressure on hospital admissions and the city of Maputo leading the way."

"There are 334 occupied beds, which corresponds to 57%. Maputo province has already exceeded its inpatient capacity, with 42 beds occupied, when it only has 40 beds for inpatient care. This means that many Covid-19 patients in Maputo province will have to come to Maputo city for hospitalization," Matsinhe explained.

Compliance with prevention measures

Benigna Matsinhe said that only with a strict compliance with the prevention measures will it be possible to reverse the current scenario.

"If we look at the trend we are having, of about 50 new admissions daily, we can quickly reach a situation of saturation of our health units to receive patients with Covid-19. And that is not what we want as a sector, but also as residents, both in Maputo City and in all other provinces," he said.

In order to reduce the chains of transmission of the disease, the authorities tightened restrictive measures last Saturday (17.07).

Analyst Osman Cossing told DW Africa that "the recently enacted measures have great merit in stimulating the reduction of crowding and the adoption of other preventive measures.

"Allied to this vaccination campaign that has been initiated, we hope that this wave will not remain for long," Cossing said, adding, "It is quite true that the government has been adjusting measures to the real situation, however, if these levels of spread continue with this trend, we can certainly register some signs of saturation in terms of hospitalization capacity, particularly in the cities of Maputo, Maputo province and other provinces such as Tete, for example."

Official data released this Monday (19.7) indicate that, in the last 24 hours, 1 373 positive cases for Covid-19 were recorded. The number of hospitalizations was 54, of recovered patients, 123, and of deaths, 20.