Op Ed |

Politics, Religion & Populism At Crossroads With Science: The Battle For Supremacy In The COVID-19 Pandemic

June 28, 2020 Healthtimes

MAJORITY of the people across the world are now familiar with COVID-19, and many are slowly losing interest. Across many nations the initial fears that gripped populations are dying a natural death, and the momentum to protect the communities is slowly dying as people yearn for return to normalcy. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Some parts of the world are seeing remarkable declines in cases, some experiencing second waves, whilst some are still in the first wave. However, it is critical to realise that this is the worst pandemic in human…

Science, Politics And Journalism In The COVID-19 Pandemic

June 17, 2020 Healthtimes

THE COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the world, with global infections having surpassed the 7.5 million mark, and almost half a million lives have been lost globally. Dr Grant Murewanhema The virus has spread to over 200 countries, and some continue to experience exponential increases in infections. This is probably the most rapidly spreading pathogen encountered in modern times, and increased globalization and mobility has not made the situation any better. Governments have imposed lockdowns on citizens to curb transmission and flatten their curves. Global trade has…

#Talking COVID-19 With Dr Grant: Are We Doing Enough Testing For COVID-19 In Zimbabwe?

June 14, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

THE first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, and a few months later the disease became a worldwide pandemic. To date over 7 million infections have been reported. Zimbabwe has reported 356 cases, which include 4 deaths and 54 recoveries. By Grant Murewanhema Transmission patterns include imported disease, sporadic disease, clusters of disease and community transmission. In community transmission, clusters of cases are reported in the communities without clear linkage to imported cases. Most of the cases reported in Zimbabwe so far have been among…

Coping with Retrenchment; A Mental Health Perspective

June 13, 2020 Michael Gwarisa

RETRENCHMENTS in Zimbabwe are expected to hit record numbers as a result of economic disruption from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to disrupt the global economy, many employers worldwide are left with no choice but to reduce staff in order to cut costs and survive. By Dr Kudakwashe C Muchena Zimbabwe is not immune to this as is already seen in the Hospitality and Entertainment industries. In response to this predicted wave of retrenchments, this article seeks to give a mental health…

#Talking COVID-19 WITH Dr Grant: Collectivism Is The Key To Achieving Successful Control Of The Covid-19 Outbreak In Zimbabwe

June 7, 2020June 7, 2020 Healthtimes

THE past three weeks have seen a continued upward trend in the number of reported COVID-19 cases, which now stand at 279 (though the active number stands at 242. At the moment, we haven’t reached the community transmission stage, though we have reported a few sporadic cases here and there. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Whilst the situation is still containable, its not certain where we are headed to with pandemic. The possible scenarios include an exponential increase in the number of cases in the following few weeks, a continued but…

Centralised COVID-19 Responses Hindering service Delivery in local authorities

June 4, 2020 Healthtimes

WHEN the State fails to devolve its powers to the citizenry local government structures, the citizens lose their interest in what the government is doing. During the COVID-19, it has become very clear that without devolution, decisions will continue to be made by the central government for the different local government structures in Zimbabwe. By Precious Shumba, HRT Director Devolution means transferring decision making powers to the local tiers of government. The citizens have the right to vote and play oversight over their local government structures, with the capacity to…

#Talking COVID-19 With Dr Grant: COVID-19 And Lessons For Africa

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 Healthtimes

THE world is currently undergoing one of the worst challenges ever; something nobody had foreseen. Millions of people have been infected by the novel coronavirus; hundreds of thousands have died, and a lot more have battled for their lives. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Governments have imposed lockdowns, and productivity has gone down. The developed world, especially the UK, USA and American countries have been hardest hit by the pandemic, and many of these are struggling to cope on many fronts. Economies are expected to crash following protracted periods of suppressed…

How Zim Quarantine Centres Have Become Drivers Of COVID-19 Infections

May 31, 2020May 31, 2020 Healthtimes

CONSIDERING that Zimbabwe’s single most potent Covid19 threat has been from returnees, more effort should have been directed towards containment of the disease from those coming in. This includes a systemic process of testing and monitoring of those returning, and gradual reintegration into their communities. By Munyaradzi Madziwa The same measures being enforced amongst the general populace such as protective masks, sanitising and social distancing should apply to the returnees. Further than that returnees must be monitored daily for clinical signs and symptoms which might signal Covid-19 infection. In my…

COVID-19 IN ZIMBABWE: WHERE ARE WE GOING?

May 31, 2020 Healthtimes

ZIMBABWE recorded its first case of COVID-19 on 20 March 2020, but until 2 weeks ago we had less than 50 cases. This trend is significantly different from what was observed in Europe, America, the UK and China, which saw exponential increases in infections once they had recorded their first cases. By Dr Grant Murewanhema Others have argued that we have not been testing enough, but the situation on the ground has been very stable. On the clinical side, we have not witnessed a significant spike in clinically suggestive cases,…

OP-ED-We Will Not Defeat COVID-19 Without Including Africa In The Global Response

May 19, 2020May 19, 2020 Healthtimes

IN much of the global COVID-19 conversation, Africa is barely mentioned. But the risks which the COVID-19 crisis brings are even greater in Africa than elsewhere – and those risks will be compounded if Africa is marginalized in the global response. By Winnie Byanyima and John Nkengasong Beating COVID-19 in Africa, in turn, is essential for beating it worldwide. African leadership and global solidarity are both essential to overcoming the COVID-19 crisis in Africa, and Africa’s citizens demand nothing less. Economic and social determinants of ill-health are strong predictors of…