The Presidential Taskforce on corona virus Co-chairperson Dr Wilfred Nkhoma on Tuesday said Malawi is ready to contain resurfacing of the pandemic.

According to the World Health Organization the new corona variant called XBB 1.5 has been detected in South Africa, China and other 25 countries.

Dr. Nkhoma said they have put in place a number of monitoring tools on the occurrence of new cases of Covid19 in the country.

“Malawi continues to monitor the occurrence of new cases and circulating variants to promote Covid-19 Vaccination and boosters to increase level of immunity amongst the population; to promote 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 COVID-19 vaccinations, or show a negative PCR based test result conducted within 72 hours of arrival into the country,” he said 

 Dr. Nkhoma has appealed to Malawians to continue observing existing COVID-19 preventive measures.

“Malawi just like all other countries, is strengthening measures already established for 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.

“World Health Organisation continues to monitor how the variants continue to behave and respond to current control measures, including the available vaccines,” he said

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.

“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 government of Malawi to ensure that a lot of people should get vaccinated for Covid-19,” he said.