Health official warns against complacency as Covid-19 cases drop Dr John Mangwiro

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has warned people against complacency as Covid-19 cases being recorded in the country continue to drop.

In an interview, Ministry of Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Dr John Mangwiro said people had to make use of this period to get vaccinated in numbers before a fourth wave strikes.

He said Government will continue to mobilise resources and personnel to speed up the vaccination exercise.

President Mnangagwa recently warned that Zimbabwe faces the threat of a fourth wave being experienced in other countries and urged citizens to comply with Covid-19 prevention protocols.

“We shouldn’t relax just because cases that are being recorded everyday are dropping. We know that this pandemic comes in waves. Some countries are experiencing the fourth wave and it might get to use at any time. People should go out and get vaccinated in numbers so that we can be ready when the fourth wave hits us,” he said.

“People have a tendency of relaxing when cases drop and some go on to violate Covid-19 regulations. Let’s continue to adhere to the regulations and as for those who have been violating them let them learn a lesson from the numbers of lives that have been lost. As Government we will continue to put in place measures to scale up the vaccination exercise so that we can attain herd immunity in the least possible time.”

Covid-19 cases in areas previously designated as hotspots have been declining due to public health protocols that have been implemented and ongoing surveillance in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Health report published on Sunday shows that 13 deaths and 165 new cases were reported on August 22.

During the same period 10 776 people received their first Covid-19 dose bringing cumulative for first dose to 2 312 417 while 9 181 received their second dose bringing the cumulative for second dose to 1 460  162.

The same report shows that 444 new recoveries were recorded on Sunday while active cases went down to 11 593 from 11  885 recorded on Saturday.

“As at 22 August 2021, Zimbabwe had 122 652 confirmed cases, including 106  810 recoveries and 4 249 deaths. To date, a total of 2 312 417 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19,” said the ministry.

Early this month new cases that were being recorded in a day were ranging from 900 to about 1 600 with 1 580 new cases being recorded on August 3, the highest figure so far this month. During the second week of the month the number of new cases dropped to arrange of between 400 to 500 but later spiked with 800 new cases being recorded on August 12.

In July the country recorded the highest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths since the advent of the virus in March last year.

From July 11 to July 25 a total 924 deaths were recorded during the period whereas the first 900 Covid-19 deaths were recorded over a space of 10 months. The highest number of new cases was recorded in July 14 with 3 110.
The highest number of deaths recorded in a single day was on June 16 with 102 fatalities.

During the last two weeks of July the number of new cases that were being recorded in the country were ranging from 1 500 to 2 500.

Government which is pushing hard to attain herd immunity of 10 million people in the shortest possible time, has widened its mass vaccination programme to include the private sector.

It has also deployed mobile teams in remote areas that are far away from vaccination centres to ensure all people have access to vaccines.

Government has also brought on board the army and the police to also vaccinate people at their health institutions. Herd immunity is achieved when most people are immune to an infectious disease and it provides indirect protection those who are not immune.

Once achieved, herd immunity is likely to cause life to return to normal with less restrictions to prevent new infections._@DubeMatutu

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