The government and the opposition-run Harare City Council
yesterday issued conflicting reports about coronavirus cases in Zimbabwe with
Health and Child Care minister Obadiah Moyo insisting that only two people have
tested positive so far.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa (pictured) early in the morning
said he had been informed by council officials that two people had tested
positive for the virus at Wilkins Hospital — the designated coronavirus
isolation centre in Harare — and this would have brought the number of cases in
Zimbabwe to three.
Chamisa’s claim was corroborated by Harare mayor Herbert
Gomba. Councils runs Wilkins Hospital.
Zimbabwe recorded its first coronavirus case on Friday
after a Victoria Falls resident, who recently travelled to the United Kingdom
tested positive.
Moyo made the announcement about the second case later in
the afternoon. He said the 30-year-old man from Harare had recently travelled
to New York on February 29 and returned home on March 9 via Johanesburg.
“He started exhibiting symptoms of flu-like illness on
March 12, which progressively got worse on March 19,” Moyo said.
“He consulted with his doctor who advised him to
self-isolate at home.
“The doctor alerted the local Covid-19 rapid response team
that went immediately to assess him and recommended that he continues with
self-isolation at home.
“[On Friday] evening he developed severe respiratory
distress and after stabilisation at home, was admitted for isolation and
clinical management at Wilkins Hospital, the reference lab, confirmed his
Covid-19 positive results early this morning.”
Agnes Mahomva, the Health and Child Care permanent
secretary, accused Gomba of jumping the gun by making the announcement.
“The mayor has jumped the gun, our position as the
government is, two cases have been recorded in this country,” Mahomva told The
Standard.
“Remember our ministry is the one that tests Covid-19 at
our laboratory and they can only know that position through our ministry.”
Gomba said council was mobilising $10 million to increase
the capacity of Wilkins Hospital to accommodate between 100 and 500 patients in
light of the coronavirus cases in Zimbabwe. Standard
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