Zimbabwe recorded a total of forty-seven COVID-19 related deaths yesterday, to take the total number of deaths to 636, while 1,112 have so far tested positive. All the positive cases are local transmissions, with 467 from Harare, the nation’s capital.
At a security checkpoint near Marondera, five people also tested positive for COVID-19.
Those who tested positive were among the 22 people who were tested at a roadblock as the Zimbabwean Government intensifies moves to test travellers.
The latest development comes after the country’s Government deployed healthcare workers to join the security services at roadblocks in order to screen for COVID-19, those intending to pass through and carry out awareness campaigns on mitigatory measures to reduce the further spread of the pandemic.
Health experts who have been deployed to some security checkpoints are mandated to undertake further screening and testing of people exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. The move is expected to help flatten the infection curve.
Mashonaland East provincial medical director Dr Paul Matsvimbo said the programme which had entered its second day, had so far proved to be effective in curbing the further spread of the coronavirus.
“We have our own tent here. We have our own health workers who are doing the screening and the testing.
“For those that are positive, we refer them to the local rapid response team,” said Dr Matsvimbo.
The health workers will also advise security personnel to prevent those suspected to be infected with the virus, from entering city centres.
This week, Vice chairman of the Ad-Hoc Inter-Ministerial Task Force on COVID-19, Professor Amon Murwira, made the announcement while introducing healthcare workers at security checkpoints.
“We have agreed that law enforcement should be combined with awareness and also screening. There will be some points where we will actually send doctors to screen people in a car to find out if people are clean and clear in terms of the disease, not only papers,” Prof Murwira said.
