Covid-19: Gweru trains 150 health personnel

Sukoluhle Ndlovu, Midlands Correspondent 

THE Gweru City Council has trained 150 health service providers on coronavirus (Covid-19) and the team will soon be sent to Harare’s Wilkins Hospital for drills on handling suspected cases, an official has said.

Speaking during a meeting on Gweru’s Covid-19 preparedness and response plan last week, City Director of Health Services Mr Samson Sekenhamo said the number of people being monitored for Covid-19 in the city has increased to 138.

“We have trained about 150 health care providers in Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) and also in Rapid Response Training (RRT). For now, 138 travellers are being monitored for Covid-19 in the city, with 61 having surpassed the 21 days of monitoring,” he said.

Mr Sekenhamo said council was facing a shortage of equipment such as thermometers and protective gear.

“Our challenge is unavailability of equipment to use like rapid testing kits which include thermometers and protective gear because we need each and every team to have its own equipment,” he said.

Speaking during the same meeting, Gweru District Medical Officer Dr Shakespeare Mureyani said the Gweru Isolation Disease Hospital is the provisional facility to handle any suspected cases.

“We have set aside Gweru Isolation Disease to be the isolation centre for the province. In terms of preparedness, we are good to go,” he said.

Meanwhile, some residents in the city said they now understand the threat of the coronavirus disease, while some called for more efforts to sensitise people. Ms Abigail Goko said she did not know much about the disease and appealed to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to increase awareness among the people.

“We have heard about this disease but we do not have enough information. We are therefore appealing to the Ministry of Health and Child Care to dispatch teams that will go out in different parts of the country educating people about coronavirus,” she said.

According to the World Health Organisation, signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties and in more severe cases can lead to pneumonia, multiple organ failure, and even death.