The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
Manicaland has identified Mutare Infectious Diseases Hospital as an isolation facility for possible COVID-19 cases as the province steps up preparedness to deal with the deadly infection.
However, Acting Manicaland Provincial Medical Director Dr Munyaradzi Mukuzunga said the isolation facility was not yet ready for patients as it needed rehabilitation.
“The facility needs infrastructure renovations to get it to expected standards but some staff have already been trained while more training is planned.
“Currently, we have health care workers from all the province’s seven districts, those from Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital (former Mutare Provincial Hospital) and provincial health executives undergoing national trainer of trainers for COVID-19. These will then train district teams,” he said.
He said screening, including temperature checking, symptoms checking as well as scrutiny of travel history started weeks back at Forbes Border Post.
Dr Mukunguza also said the Health Ministry was currently setting up a screening facility at the Espungabera Border Post in Chipinge.
However, Dr Mukuzunga said it was going to be difficult to keep track of all points.
“It is almost impossible to account for all these. MoHCC works with all other Government ministries and departments, including the security forces. COVID-19 preparedness and response is not a MoHCC task, but a responsibility for all of us. The hope is that community awareness will assist travellers to contact the health system once they suspect they are exposed or ill,” he said.
The Zimbabwe-Mozambique border in Manicaland has easy access through undesignated points.
Dr Mukunguza said the Health Ministry was intensifying training to increase awareness of the disease among health staff and the public.
“Remember this is a new disease. We are also rolling out community awareness programmes and disseminating information through various platforms, like the media, Ministry of Health and Child Care website, daily situational reports and educative pamphlets,” he said.
Meanwhile, there has been concern over a Mutare woman who died while on her way to Wilkins Hospital after she had consulted her doctor with symptoms similar to Covid-19.
Dr Mukuzunga shed some light on that case.
He said the woman had presented to her doctor in Harare almost six weeks after arriving in Zimbabwe.
“The woman in question travelled from China to Zimbabwe on the 24th of January 2020. She presented to her doctor in Harare on the 6th of March 2020. That is almost six weeks after her visit.
“The time COVID-19 takes to develop symptoms (incubation) is approximately seven days. Therefore any signs and symptoms would be expected to develop within 14-21 days and unlikely beyond that,” he said.
Dr Mukunguza said it was highly unlikely that the woman had COVID 19.
