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ZIMBABWE and the rest of Sadc countries are under threat from a new Covid-19 variant that has been detected in neighbouring South Africa and Botswana.

The new variant, B1.1.529 (Omicron) has not yet been detected in Zimbabwe but Government is already taking measures to control its spread.

Vice-President and also Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Constantino Chiwenga said there is an urgent need to escalate the country’s Covid-19 response following the detection of the new Covid-19 variant in the region.

Dr Chiwenga said there was little information on the new variant except that it has numerous points of mutation compared to the Delta variant, the main one circulating in Zimbabwe.

He said mitigation measures which include the mass vaccination underway will be intensified and there will be strict monitoring of movements at points of entry and border posts to minimise the country’s exposure to the new variant.

VP Chiwenga urged members of the public to strictly observe Covid-19 preventive measures that include social and physical distancing, use of face masks at all times, sanitisation of hands and surfaces, and temperature checks at all public gatherings.

He said it was important to keep a critical eye at the ports of entry to avoid importing the new variant into the country through Covid-19 positive patients.

Zimbabwe is facing the threat of the new variant when the Christmas and New Year festivities are just few weeks away.

This is the time when hundreds of Zimbabweans working in the two neighbouring countries, SA and Botswana, where the new variant has been detected, return home to join their families.

There is therefore, a mammoth task for the authorities at the border posts and the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure measures are put in place to prevent the importation of the new variant into the country.

Zimbabwe witnessed a spike in Covid-19 cases during last year’s Christmas festivities and middle of this year and it is suspected the returning Zimbabweans contributed to the rise in cases.

The country which is witnessing a decline in new Covid-19 cases and deaths, has relaxed lockdown regulations but there is a need to enforce compliance with preventive measures now that we are facing a threat of the new variant.

We have said before that the easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures should not be mistaken for total victory against the global pandemic.

The pandemic is still with us hence the need to continue taking preventive measures. The country, as we have already said, has for months now been recording a decline in new Covid-19 infections and deaths but we are not yet out of the woods.