Covid-19 patient escapes from Karonga district hospita quarantine center unit
By: Andrew Mkonda – Mana
A 27-year-old man who tested positive to coronavirus two weeks ago in Karonga district and was put in a quarantine center unit at Karonga district hospital has escaped from the facility to unknown place.According to a report released by the Karonga district hospital officials and was made available to Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Monday, the patient escaped from the quarantine center unit on Saturday and he is still at large.“Our findings show that the person arrived at Lasha village in the district where he was staying with her sister and the people thought he had been officially discharged. One of the relatives claimed that an unknown person had gone to the quarantine center unit around mind night on Friday.“When he arrived home he shouted lots of insults at the relatives claiming that there was no reason the hospital was keeping him there yet he was not sick. He said that the one who was shouting had alleged that people had been bribed to doctor positive laboratory results,” reads part of the report.Karonga District Hospital had put the person in quarantine center unit on April 26, 2020 following confirmation of covid-19 status.The person had been staying in Dares salaam (Tanzania) for over 1 year and eight months but his original home is in Chatupa village in the area of Traditional Authority Malanda in the district.Speaking in separate interview, Karonga Police Station Officer-In-Charge Sam Nkhwazi said police is doing all it can to find this person knowing that wherever he goes he will infect other people.Nkhwazi said that they have already alerted their colleagues in Nkhata-Bay in case the person may think of going there.“It’s unfortunate that some people are not taking this disease seriously. Coronavirus is real and there is need to adhere to preventive measures given by the doctors,” he said.The person entered the country through uncharted route on April 20,2020 when he was captured by security agents on covid-19 patrols close to Songwe border.Malawi has registered 57 cases of coronavirus with three deaths.
