LOCAL health experts yesterday noted that Zimbabwe was three months behind the ever-mutating COVID-19 virus, and suggested that the best brains were now required to tame the tide.
This came as the southern African nation recorded 56 deaths
and 2 156 new infections in a single day on Thursday.
The health experts also called on government to deploy
police to funerals to control numbers after it emerged that citizens were
turning out in their numbers at funerals, disregarding the limit of 30 imposed
by the government.
Mpilo Central Hospital Chief executive officer Solwayo
Ngwenya said big brains were now wanted to save the country from the COVID-19
catastrophe.
“Unfortunately, you will need brains to craft a massive
plan to get out of this massive unfolding catastrophe,” he said.
“We are two to three months behind the virus.” Despite
President Emmerson Mnangagwa claiming on Wednesday that the country was winning
the war against the virus, Zimbabwe has been recording a surge in positive
COVID-19 cases.
Government is also struggling to vaccinate its population
after setting an ambitious target of inoculating over 10 million, representing
60% of the population.
Medical and Dental Private Practitioners Association of
Zimbabwe (MDPPAZ) president Johannes Marisa said a hard lockdown was the only
option left for the country to get out of the quagmire.
“We are noticing some skyrocketing figures. For sure,
COVID-19 is getting out of control. So many people are presenting symptoms and
testing positive as well,” he said.
“We need to take drastic measures if we are going to
flatten our curve very fast. We need to make sure we reduce transmission among
the people. The following measures are important: a hard lockdown, we need to
reduce movement of people at the moment. These things should be taken
seriously.”
Marisa implored members of MDPPAZ to speedily relay medical
information to the COVID-19 taskforce as the country battles to contain the
spread of the respiratory disease.
This follows reports that a number of COVID-19 cases and
deaths could be going unrecorded, especially in rural communities.
Rural communities were spared the high infection rates
during the first and second waves of the pandemic in Zimbabwe.
However, the third wave, which according to the World
Health Organisation is characterised by the Delta, Alpha, Beta and Gamma
variants, has found its way in many rural communities in the country,
particularly in Mashonaland West province.
“All medical professionals should expeditiously send
information about positive PCR [polymerase chain reaction] patients or rapid
antigen that they see whether outpatients or in-patients. All members are thus
expected to submit reports everyday by 9pm to the city council informatics
head, Mr Mukeredzi or MDPPZA secretariat,” Marisa wrote.
“It is a now a routine to report notifiable conditions like
tuberculosis, typhoid, cholera, polio, measles as fast they are diagnosed.
There shall be a notification form that will be used as data collection tool to
minimise data redundancy, it will be modified to make it user-friendly. By
Saturday (today) afternoon, all members will have access to the notification
form.”
He said the Health ministry and local authorities’ health
departments would carry routine checks to see if medical practitioners were
complying.
Marisa said there was need for collective efforts if the
country was to win the battle against COVID-19.
“We have to be vigilant and resilient as we face this third
wave of COVID-19. We need to work together if we are to conquer this disease,”
he said.
The doctors’ call came as World Health Organisation (WHO)
observed that COVID-19 cases in Africa were doubling every 18 days, compared
with every 21 days only a week ago.
WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti,
yesterday warned that Africa should brace for the worst as the COVID-19 third
wave sweeps across the continent.
Vaccination rates remain sluggish, with only 16 million
people, 2% of the African population, fully vaccinated. Newsday
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