PRESIDENT Emerson Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe will continue on level two of the lockdown for an indefinite period. He said, “We shall have regur two week interval reviews to assess progress or lack of it,” he said. More to follow…
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ZAMBIA’S Health Minister, Dr Chitalu Chilufya today announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 cases all from Lusaka Province out of 161 tests conducted. There were no tests from Nakonde. The new cases involve 10 truck drivers who entered through Chirundu border and these include 4 Zambians and 6 Zimbabwean nationals. Other cases involve 1 contact for a known positive case and 3 captured from routine screening. He said 28 patients have been discharged today among them 16 patients from Levy Mwanawasa covid 19 centre and 12 Ministry of health staff.…
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RECENTLY Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) certified medical equipment manufacturer, Medical Solutions Zimbabwe has donated a total of 200 face shields towards the Zimbabwe COVID-19 battle. By Michael Gwarisa In an interview with HealthTimes soon after the handover event, Medical Solutions Director, Shepard Chakanza said the 200 face shields would be distributed evenly between the Harare and Bulawayo City councils health departments to advance the fight against the raging COVID-19 pandemic. We went to Wilkins after we were told by the City of Harare to go and make a donation…
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PLAN International Zimbabwe has warned of an upsurge in sexual violence and deprivation of economic and social opportunities for girls and young women at the back of the prevailing COVID-19 which has already disrupted livelihoods. By Michael Gwarisa In Zimbabwe, the COVID 19 pandemic has emerged at a time when the national public health system, economic environment is extremely fragile, and the country is still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Idai disaster which hit the country in 2019. In an interview with HealthTimes, Plan International Zimbabwe Sexual Reproductive Health…
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THE International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has today described the development of two novel devices, a negative pressure procedural tent and a portable helmet device, as having the potential to protect healthcare workers and transform the care of COVID-19 patients across the globe. The devices were developed by a team of engineering and medical staff at the University of Michigan. Both devices create a negative pressure environment for the wearer, which is essential for severely ill COVID-19 patients as a negative pressure environment prevents the infected…
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GLOBAL public health officials are warning that the coronavirus circulating around the world right now will take years to completely contain and that the virus might never totally go away. “I would say in a four- to five-year time frame, we could be looking at controlling this,” Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist, told a Financial Times conference on Wednesday. Swaminathan warned that the current pandemic could “potentially get worse” before it gets better. At a press conference later on Wednesday, another senior WHO official said the…
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GOVERNMENT recently appointed Dr Bernard Madzima as the National Aids Council’s (NAC) new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after the organisation had gone for a year and three months without anyone at its helm. Before his appointment, Dr Madzima served as Director in the Family Health department under the ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) for eight years, where he coordinated the country’s sexual and reproductive health, the family planning, as well as the cervical cancer programs. To ensure the organisation moves forward, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah…
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A UNAIDS and World Health Organisation modelling group warns that slackening the HIV Health Service delivery over the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) response could cost about half a million lives in Sub-saharan Africa in the next two years. By HealthTimes Reporter Since 2010, new HIV infections among children in sub-Saharan Africa have declined by 43percent, from 250 000 in 2010 to 140 000 in 2018, owing to the high coverage of HIV services for mothers and their children in the region. Curtailment of these services by COVID-19 for six months could…
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PRESIDENT Emerson Mnangagwa has redeployed Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) permanent secretary, Dr Agnes Mahomva to the newly formed post of Chief Coordinator to the National Response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the office of the President and cabinet. By Michael Gwarisa In a press statement, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda said Dr Mahomva’s appointment was in line with section 203 (1) (a) of the constitution of Zimbabwe amendment number (20) Act 2013. This post has been created after due consideration of the…
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ZIMBABWE should desist from copying and pasting other countries’ COVID-19 containment measures and adopt a SMART lockdown model peculiar to the country’s health and economic demands, a top health policy expert has warned. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe instituted its initial lockdown on March 30, 2020 before extending it by another two weeks. President Emmerson Mnangagwa also extended the lockdown by another 14 days which will be ending in a few days’ time though under much relaxed conditions. However, Zimbabwe has in the past few weeks been accused of replicating South…
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