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Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
SCHOOLS in Matabeleland North and Masvingo provinces have recorded new Covid-19 cases following the opening of learning institutions on Monday last week.

The Covid-19 cases are reported at a time when pupils in some schools have been idle as their teachers and headmasters have not been reporting for duty, citing incapacitation.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, out of the 350 Covid-19 cases recorded in the country on

Wednesday, 131 were reported in schools in the two provinces.
At least 42 of the cases are from Matabeleland North schools, while schools in Masvingo Province were the hardest hit with 89 cases.

Matabeleland North provincial medical director (PMD), Dr Admire Kuretu said they had released health workers to try and find out what the rise in new infections can be attributed to.

“What is more worrying is that the numbers seem to be rising because we are getting more information as we test more students. The health workers are on the ground trying to establish what the cause could be. Some are in Hwange and others are in Lupane where Covid-19 has been detected,” he said.

Dr Kuretu said one of the affected schools is Marist Brothers, a boarding school in Dete, Hwange District where a team was deployed to assess the situation yesterday.

In Lupane, there is one primary school and one secondary school which have reported Covid-19 cases. “We are yet to establish whether the infections have been transmitted from the community or they are student to student transmissions only,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care daily situational report, as of Tuesday at 3PM, there were 43 people who were hospitalised countrywide. Of these, 10 were new admissions, 15 were asymptomatic, 26 had mild to moderate symptoms while five were severe and none were in the intensive care unit.

“As at 16 February 2022, Zimbabwe had 232 213 confirmed cases, including 224 191 recoveries and 5 379 deaths. To date, a total of 4 322 792 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19,” read the report. The country continues to roll out the vaccination programme for the first, second and third doses.

“4 297 people received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine bringing the cumulative for the first dose to 4 322 792.

Another 4 347 received their dose bringing the cumulative for the second dose to 3 353 554 while 3 295 people received their 3rd dose bringing the cumulative for 3rd dose to 89 659,” said the ministry.

The national recovery rate remains at 96 percent.