As of today, 29 May 2020,
Zimbabwe has a total of 160 confirmed covid-19 cases, according to the latest Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare (MHCW) report. Three days ago, on 26 May, the
country had 63 cases. 2 of the new cases are local and the rest, 95, returnees.
Any increase in covid-19 cases is
cause for concern but what alarmed me it the government’s own reaction! Defence
and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri told Parliament that
the recent influx of returnees from South Africa and Botswana have put the
country under tremendous pressure.
"Influx of returnees has put
us under tremendous pressure and we have found ourselves incapacitated,” said
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.
"Within the next week we are expecting 3 000 more returnees from various countries … We are also falling short in terms of PPEs and testing kits which remain a concern to us because of international competition."
The sheer incompetence with which this Zanu PF regime is handling this pandemic is cause for alarm.
"Within the next week we are expecting 3 000 more returnees from various countries … We are also falling short in terms of PPEs and testing kits which remain a concern to us because of international competition."
The sheer incompetence with which this Zanu PF regime is handling this pandemic is cause for alarm.
1)
The country has known that beside the serious threat to health
corona virus was going to cause serious economic disruption the world over.
Zimbabwe’s political chaos and economic meltdown have forced many of its people
to leave the country in droves as political and/or economic refugees. The
corona virus induced economic disruption have resulted in the economic
opportunities drying up like water in the desert sand. Given that there are 3
million or so Zimbabweans in the neighbouring country it is disconcerting that
the regime should find itself “incapacitated” by a trickle of returnees when
the flood is yet to come.
2)
According to government’s own laid down those taken into
quarantine are tested for covid-19 on arrival, after 8 days and then after 21
days. All those who test positive on the first test are almost certain to have
got the virus before their arrival and the third test are almost all certain to
be local. The MHCW reports does not say how long the returnees who have tested
positive have been in the country but it is reasonable to assume a number are
local infection, especially given the unhygienic conditions in these quarantine
centres. In most of these centres the returnees share toilet and washing
facilities and some of them do not even have clean running water so people can
wash their hands regularly. There is no doubt that most of our quarantine
centres are covid-19 hotspots in their own right. It is worrying that the
regime is ignoring the facts and pretend everyone of the covid-19 positive
returnee got the virus outside the country.
3)
The country has only done 46 613 tests which is very small given
many opportunities the confirmed cases had to pass the virus to the rest of the
population. It seems the government is focused on testing the returnees and
ignoring the reality the virus is already spreading amongst the locals.
4)
According to MHCW report 29 cases have recovered and 4 have
death leaving 127 active cases, most of them are in isolation as contrast to
hospital care. It is nonsensical that the country should be running out of PPE
already when it has hardly had any hospital care cases.
Zimbabwe’s unhygienic quarantine
centres are covid-19 hotspots for returnees; a frightful prospect given the
trickle of returnees is set to become a flood. Quarantine centres are not the
only covid-19 hotspots, there are many others we do not know about but only
because the authorities are testing, tracking and tracing as aggressively as
World Health Organisation recommended!
If Zimbabwe is already “incapacitated,
has no PPE and no test kits” when the number of confirm covid-19 cases is only
160; it did not take much to incapacitate the regime given its blundering
incompetence. What sorry state will the country be in when the virus cases soar
hundred thousand-fold to 1 600 000 or 10% of the country’s 16 million
population!
The
issue of good governance has been important for Zimbabwe but in times of life
and death trials and tribulation as now it is insane to ignore the issue. Whereas
a competent government can limit the covid-19 death toll to a few thousands under
an incompetent “incapacitated” regime the death toll will soar to hundreds of
thousands!
6 comments:
MPILO Central Hospital in Bulawayo has imposed an indefinite ban on patients' visits after recording four COVID-19 cases in a single day early this week.
Authorities at the hospital had all along imposed restrictions on the number of people visiting patients, but after four COVID-19 cases were recorded on Wednesday, a total ban has now been put in place.
Hospital authorities said the indefinite ban was necessary in stemming the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Four people, including a nurse at the hospital and a patient who went to the health institution for treatment on Wednesday, tested positive for COVID-19.
The nurse in question has been sent home to selfisolate, while the other three are admitted to the hospital.
The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare reported 76 new covid-19 cases on Wednesday 27th May, 75 returnees and 1 local. Thursday 28th 17 new cases all returnees 9 from Mozambique, 7 SA and 1 UK. On Friday 29th 11 new cases 2 Botswana, 7 SA and 2 local. So where are the 4 Mpilo Hospital cases recorded?
The Zanu PF regime is deliberately under reporting local corona virus cases. This is a foolish thing to do because it is giving the people the impression there is no local virus infection and so they are not taking the precautions they should. This is helping to spread the virus far and wide and there is a heavy price to pay for the folly!
"We cannot shut our citizens out as they belong here, but we want them to be responsible so that they are tested and go through screening and quarantine processes.
"We cannot afford any let-ups because our health is of paramount importance. What we need to do is to ensure that we follow returning citizens everywhere until we are satisfied that they are free of the virus.
"We must make sure that they don't mix with locals when they come in," Moyo told the Daily News.
It is rich blaming other nations for the large numbers of covid-19 positive returnees but how many of them get the virus because of the unhygienic conditions in our quarantine centres. How is it possible that government could not guarantee clean running water in most of these centres!!!!!
Last night, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Government has been working on a number of measures which include heightening security to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
"It has been the Government's position that security be heightened so that we reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Government is even working on introducing drones so that we increase security measures in border areas," she said.
The Sunday Mail reports that additional police officers and other security agencies are set to be dispatched to quarantine centres, with border towns, which recorded highest number of escapees, being prioritised.
Government will also ensure test results for returnees are released in the shortest possible time.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Child Care is set to introduce guidelines on how quarantine centres will be managed and protected.
Zimbabwe has 56 isolation centres countrywide.
It is an outrage that this government has failed to address even the common-sense hygiene requirements at these quarantine and isolation centres. The soaring number of covid-19 cases amongst the returnees in these centres is proof the centres are now covid-19 hotspots in their own right.
It is an outrage that government is spending billions of dollars building and equipping Mnangagwa’s bunker mansion and yet is failing to making sure there is clean running water in these centres!
The people of Zimbabwe must wake-up to the reality that this Zanu PF regime is doing nothing to save people’s live all it cares about is power! There is a heavy price to be paid for having a corrupt and incompetent government, during these covid-19 days the price is in lost human lives!
“No Water At Mpilo Hospital”
Mpilo Hospital is one of the top four referral hospitals in the country. If things are so bad that it cannot have clean running water one can only imagine the sorry state of the provincial hospitals much worse the rural hospitals!
Last Wednesday it was reported that there were four covid-19 cases at Mpilo Hospital. One was send away for self-isolation and the remaining three remained at the Hospital. The ported did not say if there were other covid-19 patience at the Hospital but this almost a given - government has been reluctant to test locals for covid-19. It must be a real nightmare to be running such a big Hospital with no clean running water!
In this day and age, we are still failing to supply something as basic as clean running water. Cry the beloved country!
ZIMBABWE’S confirmed Covid-19 cases have risen to 174 amid reports some infected returning residents have spread the virus to seven locals.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said 14 more citizens were confirmed positive with the virus following another round of tests conducted Saturday.
“Fourteen cases tested positive for Covid19 today. These include 7 returnees: South Africa 5, Botswana 1, United Kingdom 1 and seven local cases who are all isolated.
“The seven local cases being reported today and the two mentioned in yesterday’s report are contacts of known confirmed cases,” said the ministry.
On the same day, government said 365 RDT screening tests and 666 PCR tests were done.
The cumulative number of tests done to date is 44 635 (27 109 RDT and 17 526 PCR).
“To date the total number of confirmed cases is 174, recovered 29, active cases 141 and 4 deaths since the onset of the outbreak on March 20, 2020,” said the ministry.
According to the update, Bulawayo Province recorded three new cases; Harare, seven; Mashonaland West, one; Masvingo, two and Matabeleland North, one case.
Cumulatively, Harare province is a run-away epicentre of the virus with 81 cases, followed by Masvingo with 27 cases and Bulawayo on 18.
However, the majority of cases recorded in Zimbabwe have been imported by the country’s nationals who are returning from foreign nations, prompting calls by health experts for the country to tighten controls at border posts and quarantine centres.
“Test, track, trace, isolate and treat!” WHO has been saying!
The soaring numbers of covid-19 cases in quarantine centres makes it clear we are not even paying attention to basic hygiene! In most of these centres, people are sharing toilets and washing and many have no clean running water! It is impossible to see how anyone can stop covid-19 spreading under these conditions!
Now that our leaders have found they will not be able to fly out of the country at the drop of a hat they are spending billions of dollars building bunkers! This is so infuriating!
Zanu PF is not here to reduce the suffering and deaths from covid-19, all the party cares about is power and looting. If we are interested in saving human lives then we must address the problem of bad governance with the focus and urgency the matter demands.
Whilst in captivity I have noted the following;
Our concentration centres are overly crowded and the sharing of facilities does not allow for social distancing. Inmates will queue for meals, and are required to sit-in, in a single crowded dining hall whilst taking the meal. (Remember one cannot eat with their mask on)
Testing is erratic. (I was only tested the following day after being asked to sleep in the same room with established inmates, and since my arrival in Bulawayo I have neither been screened nor tested). Some new recruits report not being tested, and yet we are in the same facility. Escapees are recaptured and placed amongst us without testing or screening. How then do we ascertain source of infection if any of us eventually tests positive?
Test results take too long to come, ie weeks as in the case of my Vic Falls cellmates. In the meantime new inmates are captured and added to the mix. How then do you ascertain that newly infected individuals are not released into community on invalid results?
Social Welfare officers, police, and spend the day interacting with inmates with little or no PPE. These individuals at the end of the day retreat to their homes as new shifts come in, albeit with no testing or even screening. How do we ensure COVID doesn’t leave the camp into the community each day? Ever wondered why sporadic cases are now turning up in the communities?
Thank you very much for sharing your concentration camp covid-19 story with us.
What making our covid-19 story particularly tragic is the nation is stuck with a regime whose blundering incompetence is putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk and the nation had no say in electing the regime as it rigged the July 2018 elections and impose itself. What a nightmare!
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