The Blantyre District Health Office says it is well prepared to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as the country has already registered three cases as of April 2, 2020.

Director of Health and Social Services in the district, Dr Gift Kawalazira, made the assurance during a media training on the pandemic in Blantyre.

Dr. Kawalazira said the district has capacity to carry all the tests at College of Medicine and Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust laboratories, its health workers have undergone training and there is a provision of personal protective equipment when dealing with the cases.

He said: “Health workers are in the first line of defense, if they become ill we will be ready to send them to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital where an Intensive Care Unit Clinic has been set up and if they need to be isolated we will use College of Medicine hostels.

“Isolation units for the general population will be at Kameza and we will also use Kamuzu College of Nursing, the Polytechnic and even primary schools.”

Dr. Kawalazira also commended the cordial relationship which exist between their office and the media houses saying the media has been disseminating factual information on COVID-19.

He revealed that they have set press briefings to be held every Wednesday to updates the media on the pandemic in the district.

Head of Journalism and media studies at the Polytechnic, Jolly Ntaba, advised journalists to make thorough research on the disease so that they can competently report and dismiss unnecessary fears among people.

The media training was organized in conjunction with the Polytechnic and the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust.