Category: Health News

SA Lockdown Leaves 1800 Zimbabweans Near Starvation

Michael Gwarisa

ABOUT 1800 Zimbabweans in South Africa are on the brink of starvation amidst the country’s lockdown meant to curb the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), a survey has found. By Kudakwashe Pembere The survey, an on-going was initiated by a South Africa based non-profit organisation Zimbabwe Exiles Forum seeks to assess the vulnerability of the respondents looking at whether they were sick, disabled, the number of children and their ages. The organisation has begun raising food aid funds  for these Zimbabweans. Now since the beginning of the lockdown I…

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#BREAKING: Zimbabwe Records Rural Transmissions Of Covid-19

Michael Gwarisa

THE Coronavirus (COVID-19) seem not to be respecter of boundaries or Geography. Zimbabwe has recorded two new cases of rural community transmission of COVID-19, both contacts to the late 82-year-old Gogo Nguni who died at a private health facility in Harare last week. By Michael Gwarisa The two new cases number 29 and 30 which were reported on Saturday, April 25 2020 were amongst the 65 samples that were collected from contacts to the late case number 27 (Gogo Nguni). According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC),…

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Lafarge Targets To Produce 5000 Face Masks

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE’S giant Cement producer, Lafarge Zimbabwe says it targets to produce not less than 5000 face masks as part of it contribution to the national COVID-19 crisis. By Michael Gwarisa Through their official Facebook page, Larfage said they had mobilised a group of young women to help in the making of the face masks. Lafarge Zimbabwe has mobilised a group of young women from among the Shine: Simuka Upenye beneficiaries to manufacture face masks as part of response to #COVID-19. With a target to manufacture five thousand masks, this project…

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Protective Equipment For Village Health Workers

Healthtimes

HEALTH and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo says his ministry will be distributing personal protective equipment for village health workers for protection against the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) when screening and or monitoring patients with malaria. By Kudakwashe Pembere He said this as Zimbabwe commemorates World Malaria Day themed ‘Zero Malaria Begins With Me’. Malaria has similar signs and symptoms as COVID-19 hence Dr Moyo said Government does not want to take chances by leaving these health workers’ in harms way. In the current situation where the country is also…

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COVID-19 pandemic must not divert attention from Child TB

Healthtimes

IF resources are diverted away from child and adolescent tuberculosis (TB) programmes in order to fight COVID-19, the consequences for the estimated 400,000 children and adolescents in the African region needing TB and multidrug-resistant TB care each year could be devastating, warned the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) today. As the coronavirus pandemic makes its way into the African continent, there are concerns about its potential impact on the large number of children and adolescents living with TB infection or disease across the region. TB is…

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TelOne/NetOne In Joint ZW$10 Million COVID-19 Support Facility

Michael Gwarisa

TELONE in collaboration with NetOne, have announced  a joint COVID-19 response support facility to the tune of ZW$10million which is set to benefit three public hospitals namely Sally Mugabe (formerly Harare Hospital), Beatrice Infectious Diseases and Mpilo Hospitals. By Michael Gwarisa In  a joint statement, TelOne Head of Corporate Communications Melody Harry and NetOne Public Relations Executive Elderette Shereni said the move was meant to strengthen existing public health institutions to deal with the COVID-19 as well as other epidemics post the COVID-19 phase. Specific areas being funded are both…

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Security Forces To Collect COVID-19 Samples For Testing

Michael Gwarisa

SECURITY Forces have been roped in for collection of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) samples from patients in the high risk category. By Kudakwashe Pembere This is to achieve an ambitious target of 1000 tests a day as set by the COVID-19 Taskforce. Regarding achieving the 1000 tests a day, we have now come up with a strategy, the taskforce has implored that we get the services or the support services from the security services, they havemedical corps in the army, the Police and Prisons. “We have roped them in so they…

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#COVID-19: WHO Donates More Equipment To Zim

Healthtimes

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) donated a consignment of equipment for Zimbabwe’s Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) response. By Kudakwashe Pembere The consignment consisted of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and a state of the art Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine. This equipment comes to augment WHO’s Testing Kits, PPEs and technical assistance they provided in this fight against COVID-19. With the PPE costing USD16 527, the PCR Machine fetched USD24 436 adding to a total of USD40 963. The equipment comes amid cries from the healthworkers who said they did not have…

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#JUSTIN: Zim Gvt Speaks On New School Calendar

Michael Gwarisa

PERMANENT Secretary in the ministry of information, publicity and broadcasting services, Mr Nick Mangwana has advised that government is working on modalities to finalise a new school calendar for 2020 which has already been affected by the COVID-19 induced national Lockdown. By Michael Gwarisa Responding to questions during a webinar media training which was organised by UNDP, Higherlife Foundation, in partnership with the ministry of information, publicity and broadcasting services, Mr Mnagwana said the pandemic had affected schools in a big way. We still need to bring people to classes…

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#JUSTIN: Zim Records 4th COVID-19 Mortality

Michael Gwarisa

WEST End Hospital has been closed for non Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) related cases following a case which succumbed to the disease, thus making it a treatment isolation centre, Health and Child Care Minister  Dr Obadiah Moyo said on Wednesday. By Kudakwashe Pembere The deceased hailed from Mhondoro was admitted at West End Hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. I am aware of one of the cases that tested positive yesterday. Correctly so, this was someone who had been admitted and was still being seen actually at the casualty at West End Hospital.…

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