The Zimbabwe authorities have not been testing for covid-19 as aggressively as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended repeatedly, especially among the local community. And now it is emerging the regime that instead of testing suspected cases even our biggest health care institutions have been routinely sending the cases away.
"We have a screening process that is done at the entrance of the hospital,” Dr Narcissus Dzvanga, acting United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) chief executive officer, told The Chronicle.
“So, if you got any features or temperatures are within Covid-19 classification, you don't even go beyond the screening point.”
Of the most foolish and irresponsible policies that takes the biscuit!
You send the suspected covid-19 patient away! Where do you want them to go? The least the hospital or clinic should do is advise the individual they might have covid-19 and what would be the best course of action for them to take.
Stopping the suspected covid-19 patient going beyond the screening point is all very well in protecting every in the health care institution but turning such a person lose on the rest of society, knowing just how contagious and deadly this corona virus is, is plain foolish.
What if the patient should pass the virus to someone else who then goes through the hospital’s screening process because they showed no covid-19 symptoms? Indeed, this is what probably happened at UBH resulting in a patient infecting 18 health care workers with covid-19.
“The index case is a young man who got injured while trying to carry a 50kg bag of maize and got paralysed,” explained Dr Dzvanga. “There was no direct finding of Covid-19 at presentation. But when we started to test the patient routinely that is when it was picked. The staff that you are talking about are from the same ward where he was admitted.”
The standing instructions to all everyone and not just health care workers must be:
“If you come across anyone you suspect has covid-19 infection, you must act swiftly to make sure you or anyone else do not get the virus by washing your hands thoroughly, wearing the mask and all other personal protective equipment. Advise the covid-19 suspect of you suspension, of their need to self-isolate and to be tested for the virus a.s.a.p.
“Get as much personal details of the covid-19 suspect, where they have been, who they have been in conduct with and from who they may have got the virus. Pass all these details to the nearest health care institution or relevant authority whose responsibility is carry out the covid-19 tests, tracking and tracing.
“If we all act responsible, we will contain covid-19. If we do not, then many, many more will die. The life you save by acting responsibly may well be your family’s or your own!”
There is no doubt that corona virus is spreading in Zimbabwe and is going to take a heavy toll.
"Corona virus: according to my own estimates, Zimbabwe could bury 50 000 to 100 000 people in weeks, months to come. Unfortunately, the people and the economy do not like lockdowns. So, a biblical catastrophe is on the way. Frightening new figures mean deaths are coming, soon." twittered Dr Solwayo Ngwenya, Mpilo (one of UBH) Clinical Director, a colleague of Dr Dzvanga.
“If you have covid-19, you don't even go beyond the screening point!” UBH is a public health institution, not private, and one of the biggest referral hospital in the land! If UBH does not admit the sick, where else do you want them to go!
“Kutakurirana nyoka mhenyu, icharuma mumwe chete!” (If you flick a live snake at each other, it will bite one of you!) as one would say in Shona. UBH followed the idiotic policy sending away covid-19 cases, ill-treating them like a deadly snake to flick out, in the end 18 of its own staff got the virus. Did Dr Dzvanga flick them and their relatives out too?
The blundering incompetence in the handling of the corona virus in Zimbabwe has turned this covid-19 pandemic from a disaster into biblical catastrophe. All those responsible for this must be held to account; we owe it to the covid-19 dead, to ourselves and to posterity – how else can we be sure this madness will never be repeated ever again!
98 new covid-19, this is the biggest surge in daily corona virus numbers. The number cases number have been increasing regardless of the country’s failure to step up the testing. Since start of April the government promised to ramp up the number of tests to 1 000 tests per day. And yet even with the evidence the virus cases are ramping up we are still failing to hit even the 1 000 tests per day target. Only 742 tests were carried out this time.
ReplyDeleteBy under reporting the number of corona virus case in the country it means the nation has operated in the dark as to how the virus has been spreading. Ignorance of how the virus has been spreading has been a curse because the virus has spread far and wide. Many, many people will catch the virus, given our all but collapse health care, many will die of the virus.
There is no doubt the regime’s stubborn refusal to test means many covid-19 deaths will never be acknowledged as such. The regime will have its brownie points and the nation will have its many graves!
Ministry of finance fail to turn up to explain what happened to US$ 10.6 billion.
ReplyDeleteFinance Minister Mthuli Ncube has reported of a surplus one month and a deficit the next! There is certainly something fishy going on in that ministry.
The Right Honourable Tendai Biti is in his elements criticizing the Zanu PF government and especially the Minister of Finance. It is no secret that Biti believes that Professor Mthuli Ncube is a political usurper, the only man competent to hold the office of Minister of Finance is Tendai Biti and no one else.
ReplyDeleteWhenever the issue of the opposition continuing to participate in these flawed and illegal elections came up, Tendai Biti has done everything to avoid answering it as much as possible. However, he has been forced to answer it and has argued that the opposition was playing a key role in holding Zanu PF to account. He would give his theatrical performance here and on numerous other occasions as a glowing example of the opposition holding Zanu PF to account.
The bottom line with its 2/3 majority in parliament Zanu PF owns that house just as it owns the Police, ZEC, the judiciary and all the other state institutions and with this absolute power the regime has done as it damn well pleased. Like it or not the opposition has been but a housefly at a lion's kill; the lion will not abandon its meal to a buzzing fly!
Indeed, ever since the 2008 GNU Zanu PF has learned that it can rig the elections and still have the democratic legitimacy and thus avoid the embarrassment of the 2008 elections. All the party had to do was make sure it allowed the opposition to win a few gravy train seats and they will participate in the elections regardless of the evidence Zanu PF was rigging the elections.
The real big question before this nation is whether to continue sacrificing the real cause of implementing the democratic reforms so we can finally have free, fair and credible elections for the purpose of allowing Biti and a few others take up the bait Zanu PF is offering. As for Biti's claim that he and his opposition friends in parliament are making any difference that is nonsense.
Corruption is as rampant as ever and as the economic meltdown is getting worse the tyrannical oppression has been ramped up. Tendai Biti et al have not made one bit of a difference. Indeed, Biti is nothing but the great Chinua Achebe's boastful dog claiming "to put out the furnace fire with his puny fart!" It is very foolish that we have even believed the MDC leaders could bring about democratic change but to continue to do so after 20 years of MDC puny fart is insane!
UBH moan the shortage of nursing staff due to covid-19 induced absenteeism.
ReplyDeleteThe corona virus pandemic has been made a lot worse than it need be by the blundering incompetence of the country's leaders. There is no doubt that Zanu PF has under reported the covid-19 cases especially among the local community and the health managers across the country have played their part in this by failing to test covid-19 suspects. Even big health care centres like Mpilo Hospital have send away anyone with covid-19 symptoms. Even when the hospital has tested and found some one to covid-19 positive, the hospital buffoon have refused to admit it. "I am not at liberty to tell!" they insisted.
One of the big contributory factor in Zimbabwe's corona virus pandemic, turning a disaster into a biblical catastrophe, was ignorance. The authorities connived to kept the populous ignorant so Zanu PF can have its brownie points as having contain the virus denying the truth of the hundreds of thousands of covid19 graves!
@ Reuben Bofana
ReplyDelete“Just because a ruthless African leader steps on the toes of the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), or any other powerful Western country, and is declared 'persona non grata' by those countries, most certainly does not - and, should never - automatically qualify him or her as some crusading Pan-Africanist and Anti-Imperialist.
“There is undoubtedly more to being an authentic Pan-Africanist and Anti-Imperialist than merely ensuring that one gets on the wrong side of the West - and, possibly having some sanctions imposed on him or her!”
The very fact that many blacks have considered Mugabe a hero ten years after Zimbabwe’s independence when his hand were dripping with the innocent blood of the Gukurahundi massacres have shown how shallow, thick and slow these individuals are. Mugabe has used his anti-western rhetoric to hide his own corruption and tyrannical oppression and so many have swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker!
I was intrigued by some of our black leaders who have joined the Black Lives Matter bandwagon and yet they are the ones aiding and abetting this Zanu PF regime’s policy of under reporting the covid-19 suffering and deaths in the country. By deliberately falsifying the covid-19 cases these people are helping the spread of the virus. The do not care how many black lives will be lost as a result of their irresponsible behaviour.
@ Vince Musewe
ReplyDeleteYou are like a student answers the question he/she wanted to be asked and not what the teacher asked!
You have made-up your mind that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is bad economic policies. And so, you are offering this 10-part REST distention as the solution.
The root causes of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown are rampant corruption and gross mismanagement. Some of the policies the regime has pursued defies logic, such as the wholesale looting of diamonds in Marange in which the foreign partners have ripped of the local partner since the diamonds are not sold openly but the regime has pursued them regardless for two reasons:
a) Yes, the nation would have profited if the diamonds were sold on the open and competitive market but local partner would not get as much as he/she is getting and that is more important.
b) Corruption and mismanagement are the by-product of Zanu PF’s political patronage system that has helped the party maintain it’s struggle hold on absolute power. End the patronage and you will end the mismanagement and corruption but Zanu PF will lose power – that is a price the party is not willing to pay.
In other words, you are writing this 10-part economic policy distention knowing fully well that unless we implement the democratic reforms designed to dismantle the Zanu PF dictatorship and patronage system nothing will change. Nothing! Your distention is at best a waste of time and at worst a ploy to keep Zanu PF in power by addressing the wrong thing.
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the country has more than its fair share of corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs and very well-educated sell-outs. Cannot wait to see the last of time wasting REST instalments.
"We shall never quiver or capitulate in the face of these machinations. Zanu-PF is a revolutionary party, a party of liberation, a party with a rich ideology, a rich history and a vision for the future," said Mnangagwa.
ReplyDeleteHe said civil society organisations should stick to their mandate or be deregistered.
Mnangagwa also called for foreign embassies to stop funding projects to destabilise his government.
The root cause of the social unrest is the worsening economic situation and as long as nothing is done to ease the people’s suffering, we can be certain of one thing there will be violent protests to force change. The economic situation in which unemployment has soared to 90% and 34% our people are living in abject poverty, according to a 2019 WB report, is socially and morally unacceptable. If Mnangagwa thinks he can use brute force to silence dissent the reality is he is only closing the door to peaceful change leaving the nation with no other alternative but violent change.
Those who sow the wind eventually reap the whirlwind!
41 new cases bringing the total to 926, 5 are returnees and the rest locals. This is the first time locals have exceeded the returnees.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time ever that 4 135 tests have been carried out in one day!
Long before the war of liberation was done and dusted the nation had the thugs lined up ready to take over. Like it or not the freedom fighters had their guns trained on the people even with still one eye on the whites!
ReplyDelete14 Covid-19 positive returnees escaped from Beitbridge Covid-19 quarantine centre, bringing the total to 223 of those who have escaped so far from compulsory quarantine for returning residents, with police now stepping up efforts to prevent escaping and arrest those who have fled.
ReplyDeleteSo far, police have only managed to arrest 28 people who had escaped from the designated quarantine centres countrywide. On Monday, 10 returnees, two of them Covid-19 positive, escaped from quarantine centres countrywide.
Most of Zimbabwe’s quarantine centres are unhygienic and very poorly run. Many people have certainly pick the virus from these centres making them covid-19 hotspots. The authorities have been told of these on countless occasions but have done nothing. It is hardly surprising that those held in these quarantines are escaping!
"Today we regret to report 5 deaths, 3 at the community level, and 2 at facility level. These deaths occurred in Harare and Bulawayo province and were detected during routine post mortem as part of our COVID-19 surveillance."
ReplyDelete40 cases tested positive for COVID-19 today. These include returnees from South Africa (6), Liberia (4), and 30 local cases who are isolated," the health ministry said in a statement.
The local cases include 10 health care workers from Mpilo hospital in Bulawayo and 3 other health workers from a quarantine facility in Matabeleland South.
5 of the local cases are contacts of known confirmed cases, while investigations are underway to establish the source of infection for the remaining 25.
Since the onset of the outbreak on 20 March 2020, the total number of confirmed cases is 982, 320 people have recovered, 644 are active cases and 18 others have died.
Nonsense, since when has the authorities been testing all the deceased for covid-19? If they were then the death toll will be a lot higher than 18!
The corona virus storm has finally arrived, it now gathering momentum and has five or so months to run. It is only beginning and yet already the nation’s resources are stretched to the limit and the worst is yet to come.
There was pandemonium today at the Sakunda run Rock Foundation Medical Centre in Harare when medical staff got entangled after five patients, one male and four female, tested positive for #COVID19; all of them through local transmission linked to a hairdresser at a Westgate salon!
ReplyDeleteThe information I tweeted is factual & verified. There's more to the case, including a fatality. Lives will be saved by tracing people who came into contact with hairdresser, salon & the 5 Rock Foundation patients!
The salon in Westgate, whose name was not mentioned in my tweet, is real and not probable. The hairdresser in question, whose name is not in the tweet, worked at that Westgate salon. Saving lives must come before saving businesses!
Zimbabwe has not been testing among local community.
Government has deferred the re-opening of schools initially scheduled for 28 July as Zimbabwe records a surge in Covid-19 cases with recorded ones reaching more than 1000.
ReplyDeleteInformation Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said government is disturbed by the spike in COVID-19 locally transmitted cases and the number of deaths recorded.
"To curb the increase in transmissions as well as deaths from COVID-19, the following measures were adopted That the current lockdown restrictions will be tightened, while localised lockdowns are introduced in hotspot areas and further opening up of the economy is halted.
"Testing in communities with high cases of local transmission such as Bulawayo will be increased. The re-opening of schools shall be deferred pending a review of the situation, while the writing of public examinations continues," said Mutsvangwa.
The truth is Zimbabwe has not been testing as aggressively as it was supposed to particularly in the local community. Even big public hospitals like Parerenyatwa and Mpilo Hospitals have been sending away patients with covid-19 symptoms without testing them to confirm or even encouraging them to get tested. This has kept the covid-19 statistics low but at great cost to the nation because this has helped the virus spread far and wide.
The local testing must be ramped up not only in Bulawayo, Harare and all the other big cities but the whole country; the virus has really spread far and wide. The demand for testing has gone up 20 times, 20 000 tests per day, at least, what it would have costed the nation to contain the virus two months ago! No doubt, the regime will say it does not have the resources and will be lucky if there are 2 000 tests per day up from the present 1 000.
There is no doubt that the corona virus situation have been made worse than ever by the regime’s blundering incompetence!
Chiwenga was conspicuous by his absence on July 6 when Mnangagwa met provincial ministers in Harare, and on July 10 when the Zanu PF Politburo met at the party’s headquarters.
ReplyDeleteHis travel to China comes at a time when health workers including nurses have embarked on a nationwide strike against poor salaries and working conditions leaving thousands of Zimbabweans unable to get medical treatment at public health centres.
The economic situation in Zimbabwe does not allow for two lifestyles, one for the poor and the other for the ruling elite. The number of people who are now forced to get their health care needs in Zimbabwe is increasing and soon there will be no one going out of the country!
CONFIRMED cases of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe reached 1 034 Monday while deaths rose to 19, the Health Ministry said in its daily update.
ReplyDelete“Forty-nine cases tested positive for Covid-19 today (Monday). These include returnees from South Africa, 28, and 21 local cases who are isolated,” the ministry said.
“Seven of the local cases are contacts of known confirmed cases, investigations are underway to establish the source of infection for the remaining 14.
“Today, we regret one death at community level. The death occurred in Midlands province and was detected during routine postmortem as part of our Covid-19 surveillance. We await the full postmortem report of the direct cause of death.”
The chickens are coming home to roost; until know we have focus on returnees and would not test among the locals because we wanted to give the impression only the returnees are the problem. We would not even test local patients will covid-19 symptoms!
Zimbabwe was slow in setting up quarantine centres for newly arrivals and thus allowed the virus to get into the country. The country has been slow in testing, tracing and tracking, especially among the local community, and thus allowed the virus to spread far and wide. Now the country will have to increase the testing to 20 times the present just to track the hotspots and it has no resources. In short the battle to contain corona virus in Zimbabwe is all but lost!
Zimbabwe has more than 1 000 confirmed covid-19 cases.
ReplyDeleteThe corona virus storm has just broken and already the country cannot cope! We are in for a rough time, the roughest of our generation!
Police in Masvingo has intensified lockdown measures today with most people being denied access into the CBD where most shops are closed with heavy Police presence.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe has not been testing for corona virus as religiously as it should especially among the community. It is unforgivable that hospitals and clinics have been sending away people with covod-19 symptoms without having them tested and documented, for example. This has helped in the spread of the virus far and wide.
Twenty-five (25) cases tested positive for COVID-19 today. These include returnees from South Africa (3) and 22 local cases who are isolated.
ReplyDeleteOne (1) of the local cases is a contact of a known confirmed case.
Investigations are underway to establish the source of infection for the remaining 21.
Today 2009 RDT screening tests and 603 PCR diagnostic tests were done. The cumulative number of tests done to date is 95 860 57 236 RDT and 38 624 PCR).
Since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak on 20 March 2020, the total number of confirmed cases is 1 089; recovered 395, active cases 674 and 20 deaths.
The number of daily covid-19 cases in SA is now over 10 000 a day. I really expect the figure in Zimbabwe to be roughly a 1/4 i.e. 2 500 per day and yet our cumulative total is not even half that figure. It is no secret that most, if not all, our health institutions have been testing and sending away all those with covid-19 symptoms. A more rational position would have been to have the suspects tested for covid-19.
By failing to test aggressively Zimbabwe has remained in the dark as to the spread of the virus and the nation will pay dearly for this folly. No doubt, many more people will get covid-19 because they did not know was everywhere and many will die!
Now that the are an increasing number of local infections the government must close the quarantine centres; the regime's failure to ensure basic hygiene has turned most of these centres into covid-19 hotspots! Close them!
ReplyDeleteAnother 58 Zimbabweans were confirmed infected with Covid-19 yesterday, 48 of them being infected within Zimbabwe, taking the total to 1 420, with another death, a 19-year-old Bulawayo man with other medical conditions, taking the death toll to 24.
ReplyDeleteBut 32 of the local infections were from a known contact of the sick people, leaving only 16 to have the source traced.
The rapid rise in local infections has seen the total of community infections reach 654, compared to the 766 people infected outside the country, who tested positive in quarantine on their return to Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo is the most seriously hit province, with 411 of the 654 local infections recorded in that city and 11 of the 24 deaths.
Of yesterday's 48 local infections, more than half, 27, were from Bulawayo, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health and Child Care
Zanu PF has perfected the art of deception after all the years of rigging elections. The party has blundered in its handling of the corona virus from the word go and so it has been falsifying the covid-19 cases and deaths to hide its blunders. China has done the same thing with the subtle difference that whilst China mobilised its resources to stamp out the corona virus Zimbabwe has buried its head in the sand and hoped the problem will go away! Of course, the virus has not gone away but has been spreading far and wide.
Zimbabwe is going to have one of the highest per capita covid-19 infections rates and given the sorry state of our health care the highest covid-19 death rates too. The regime will, no doubt, work very hard to bury the evidence!
THE number of people who have succumbed to Covid-19 in Zimbabwe has reached 25 following the death of a 36-year-old Bulawayo woman Saturday, the Health Ministry has confirmed.
ReplyDeleteIn its daily Covid-19 update, the ministry also confirmed that cases had reached 1 478, including 439 recoveries and 25 deaths.
“58 cases tested positive for Covid-19 today (Saturday). These include returnees from South Africa (21), Botswana (12), and 21 local cases who are isolated,” the Health Ministry said.
“Two of the local cases are contacts of known confirmed cases. Investigations are underway to establish the source of infection. Today (Saturday), we regret to report one death at facility level in Bulawayo province.
Zimbabwe has not been testing as aggressively as it should, even suspected covid-19 cases at hospitals and clinics have been routinely send away without testing. This has helped to keep reported covid-19 cases down but at the cost of the virus spreading undocumented! The country's going to pay dearly for this folly!
FORTY-THREE inmates and 23 prison officers at Bulawayo Prison have tested positive for Covid-19 amid reports that cases are on the increase in the city.
ReplyDeleteBulawayo has recorded 36 new Covid-19 cases bringing the total number of cases in the province to 483. All the 36 new cases in Bulawayo, which has now become the epicentre of the pandemic, were from local transmissions.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, 133 new Covid-19 cases were recorded countrywide on Sunday bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1 611. The national Covid-19 death toll remains at 25.
Has the government ramped up its tests? One gets the feeling that covid-19 is now a raging wildfire and we continue to pretend there nothing but a few bush fires over which we have total control. The price to be paid for the lie is many, many more people get the virus and many will die!
As at 20 July 2020, Zimbabwe had 1713 confirmed cases, including 472 recoveries and twenty six (26) deaths.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe's covid-19 cases remain low but only because we are not testing as aggressively as we should. there is a heavy price to be paid by falsifying the seriousness of the corona virus in the country, it onloy helps the virus to spread faster and more widely!
Econet Wireless has informed its customers that all Econet shops will be closed from Wednesday till further notice.
ReplyDeleteThe telecoms giant said the move was necessitated by a positive deadly Coronavirus case that was detected in some of their staffers.
Customers are urged to use social media for inquiries.
Read the full statement below:
We regret to announce that some of our staff members tested positive to COVID-19 and are now quarantined. Strict measures around contact-tracing and testing have been taken on these cases as guided by the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare.
This is interesting for a country that has tried to hard to give the impression that there was no covid-19 cases in the local community as most of the cases were returnees. The truth is the country has not been testing for the virus as aggressively as it was required to.
Zimbabwe should close all her quarantine centres since the corona virus is just as prevalent among the locals as it is among the returnees particularly when these centres are so unhygienic and poorly managed they have become covid-19 hotspots in their own right.