Source: Zimbabwe confirms fifth COVID-19 case | Newsday (News)
Zimbabwe now has five coronavirus cases (COVID-19), with only one fatality still recorded, the Health ministry has announced.
By Staff Reporter
But the staggering statistic is that the country has only carried out 165 tests and this could explain why only a few cases have tested positive.
The ministry further said one of the patients had been admitted for treatment under isolation at the Beatrice Infectious Diseases Hospital in Harare.
“He remains in a stable condition and is assisting our teams in intensified surveillance through contact tracing,” the ministry said.
So far, almost a week later, the government maintains that one patient’s test results remain inconclusive.
Officially, media personality, Zororo Makamba remains Zimbabwe’s only casualty, but there are fears that there could be more.
The government is keeping a tight lid on information and has gagged local authorities from issuing out statements on recorded COVID-19 cases.
While the government insists that it is capable of handling the COVID-19 pandemic, scepticism is on the rise, particularly following Makamba’s death, which revealed that Zimbabwe was woefully ill-prepared.
The country is short of respirators, testing kits and protective clothing for health workers.
Nurses and doctors at government institutions have responded by going on strike until the government provides them with protective clothing.
A number of measures have been implemented to curb the spread of the virus, which include limiting public gatherings.
Zimbabweans have also been told to ensure that there is a distance of up to a metre between two people, although this social distancing advisory is being routinely being ignored.
Most traditional churches have also told their congregants that their doors will remain closed for as long as is necessary to combat the spread of the disease.
As of mid-morning Friday, globally, there were 542 220 confirmed cases, while there were 24 365 recorded deaths, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the bright side, 125 490 patients have so far recovered from the virus.
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