Chronicle Editor
Bulawayo has been reckless in handling Covid-19 cases and the sooner we accept this, the better for our city. The city which had zero Covid-19 infections at the beginning of the month, is now leading the country with 10 cases.
The city has overtaken Harare which was leading at the start of the month and now has nine cases.
An analysis of the Bulawayo cases shows that eight of the cases are from one source which means the cases could have been limited to just two or even one had we been more careful.
It all started with the poor handling of the city’s first Covid-19 case involving a 79-year-old man. The doctors attending to the patient behaved as though they were not aware of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in the country and as such did not treat the patient as a Covid-19 case despite all signs and symptoms pointing to the pandemic.
It was only when the patient was critically ill in the Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital that the doctors raised an alarm resulting in the intervention of the Rapid Response Team.
This was negligence on the part of the doctors handling the patient. The patient’s family has in fact accused the doctors of carelessness and ignorance.
A health worker at the hospital who contracted the Covid-19 as a result of direct contact with the patient could probably have been saved had the patient been treated as a Covid-19 case and admitted at the proper health institution. This could have also saved the other seven Covid-19 patients whose source is also the first case.
What has worsened the situation for Bulawayo is that it seems residents do not appreciate the importance of self-isolation when diagnosed of the Covid-19 or suspected to be infected.
The Rapid Response Team has reported cases of individuals diagnosed of Covid-19 roaming about the city instead of confining themselves to their homes.
We have said it before that self-isolation of Covid-19 patients is a very critical and essential procedure that helps curb the spread of the pandemic. This message has to be drilled home if Bulawayo is to curb the spread of the virus which continues to claim thousands of lives worldwide.
This recklessness of individuals roaming the streets after being diagnosed of the disease or suspected to have been infected cannot be tolerated and should stop forthwith.
Individuals confirmed to have contracted Covid-19 and those showing signs and symptoms of the disease are supposed to be in self-quarantine and it’s a must.
These individuals have an obligation to protect others including their own family members.
Online Reporter