Covid-19: Zimbabwe Ready to Deal with Second Wave

27 SEP, 2020 - 00:09

Wallace Ruzvidzo

Sunday Mail Correspondent

CHIEF coordinator for the National Response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Agnes Mahomva said Zimbabwe was ready to contain a second wave.

This comes after a number of countries, particularly in Europe and the Americas, have witnessed spikes in infections, described by experts as the second wave of the coronavirus.

Resultantly, countries such as Uruguay have reverted to strict lockdowns while the United Kingdom indicated intentions to impose another lockdown to flatten the curve.

Dr Mahomva said Zimbabwe was on a drive to create and refurbish already existing isolation centres, while intensifying daily tests in efforts to fight the pandemic.

Furthermore, significant amounts of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been bought for public health facilities and schools.

The country is experiencing reduced infections and deaths per day as the Government’s interventions continue to bear fruit.

Dr Mahomva said the Government had been hailed for the stance it had taken to initiate the first lockdown in March, as this helped in containing the coronavirus.

“Experts acknowledge the way we are dealing with the pandemic and say it is good. The first lockdown, which came into effect in March, was commended as a good move.”

She said cases were stabilising.

“Our Covid-19 numbers are stabilising as the updates on cumulative numbers show.

“The curve is flattening as we are receiving assistance from regional and international experts on Covid-19, ,” she said.

The African Union’s Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday said Zimbabwe’s participation in an in-country training on infection and control was expected to aid its preparedness for the second wave.

The country also took part in a webinar on public knowledge attitudes and preventative behaviour in response to the global pandemic last week.

In an online Africa press briefing on Thursday, the World Health Organisation  said it had invested in technical resources,  seeing over 900 staffers being deployed to the continent.

“There has been a lot of training of healthcare workers in surveillance, infection, prevention and control, and case management. Cumulatively we have had more than 1,4 million cases reported on the African continent and 34 000 people have died,” WHO expert Dr Matshidiso Moeti said.

As of Thursday, Central Africa had recorded 57 316 cases, Eastern 167 233, Northern 310 550, Western 173 464 and Southern being the hardest hit in the continent recording 724 807 cases.

Zimbabwe had recorded 7 787 cases by Friday.