FORTY-SEVEN people died of Covid-19 yesterday to take the total number of deaths to 636, while 1 112 tested positive.
All the positive cases are local transmissions, with 467
from Harare. Five people also tested positive for Covid-19 at a security check
point near Marondera.
Those who tested positive were among the 22 people who were
tested at roadblock as the Government intensifies moves to test travellers.
The development comes after the Government dispatched
healthcare workers to join the security services at roadblocks to screen those
intending to pass through for Covid-19 and carry out awareness campaigns on
mitigatory measures to reduce the spread of the pandemic.
The move is expected to help flatten the infection curve. Health
experts deployed to some security checkpoints are mandated to undertake further
screening and testing people exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms.
Mashonaland East provincial medical director Dr Paul
Matsvimbo said the programme which was in its second day, had so far proved to
be an effective way of curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
“We have our own tent here. We have our own health workers
who are doing the screening and the testing.
“For those that are positive, we refer them to the local
rapid response team,” said Dr Matsvimbo.
The health workers will also advise security personnel to
prevent from entering city centres those suspected to be infected with the
virus. Vice chairman of the Ad-Hoc Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Covid-19,
Professor Amon Murwira, this week made the announcement on the introduction of
healthcare workers at security checkpoints.
“We have agreed that law enforcement should be combined
with awareness and also screening. There will be some points where we will
actually send doctors to screen people in a car to find out if people are clean
and clear in terms of the disease, not only papers,” said Prof Murwira. Herald
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