by Health reporter
Ministry of Health and Child Care officials have revealed that there is no shortage of oxygen in health institutions across the country and that the Ministry is planning to increase workforce responsible for testing COVID-19 and those that make follow ups.
This was revealed by health officials today, when they appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care to give an update on the current COVID-19 situation in Zimbabwe.
As at 24 January 2021, the country had 31 320 confirmed cases including 22 250 recoveries and 1005 deaths.
“The ministry is planning to scale up on the number of teams that do testing and those that do follow ups. There is no shortage of oxygen currently. Reports on shortage of oxygen only referred to the bulk tanks oxygen,” said Dr Robert Mudyirandima, acting Secretary for Health adding that COVID-19 vaccine priority will go to frontline workers, House of Assembly members, security sector as well as Ministers.
The health officials highlighted that prisons are considered security zones adding that they are being taken care of as per their Act and the Health ministry gets to assist in testing, whenever they are requested to do so.
Director of Epidemology and Disease Control, Dr Portia Manangazira said in terms of statistics, they have been working with what they have been receiving as some hospitals were not reporting.
She said deaths had risen tremendously adding that the Ministry had challenges at the borders, where people are queuing for long hours as they are using the PCR for testing people.
The Ministry started noticing the rise in cases in December during the festive season and also took note of the new variant and took some measures to prevent spread of the virus.
According to the Ministry, if one is tested, but is stable, they are sent back home for quarantine, whilst those who are sickly are admitted. Those in quarantine are meant to be followed up and given adequate information pertaining to the safety of those around them.
Zimbabwe started testing for COVID-19 in mid-February 2020 at NMRL, while preparatory, competency and QC checks were done by NICD South Africa. The NMRL was loaned Quant Studio 3 real time PCR machine by Medsure and was the first laboratory to conduct COVID-19 testing.
Zimbabwe’s first COVID-19 case was recorded on the 20th of March 2020.
