Medical doctors have called on government to urgently review the country’s COVID-19 response amid concern over rising cases in the past few weeks.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said the major concern was that most new cases reported were local something they said requires urgent action from government.
“Testing rates must be urgently upscaled and made proportionate to the threat posed by a second wave of COVID-19, intensive care capacity for handling complicated cases assessed and where possible increased,”
“The recent data points to widespread community transmission of COVID 19 in the country and worrying foci of cases in schools. The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) leadership further asserted that secrecy, fear, and mistrust are also complicating the true assessment of the extent of COVID 19 in schools,” reads the statement.
ZADHR urged government to roll out a targeted vaccination campaign which initially prioritizes high risk groups and the vulnerable.
“ZADHR calls upon the government to devise a centralized, verifying mechanism that proves the authenticity of COVID 19 certificates ports of entry,” the organisation said.
The World Health Organization has persistently warned against complacency, which it terms pandemic complacency and advises for the continued and correct use of face masks, social distancing strategies and continued screening and surveillance in public spaces.
Zimbabwe recorded 27 new cases and no deaths in the last 24 hours with all cases being local.
