Matabeleland North Covid-19 cases rise to six

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MATABELELAND North province Covid-19 confirmed cases have risen to six after three returning citizens tested positive while on quarantine in Lupane.

As of yesterday, the country had recorded 279 confirmed cases, 242 of them being active while 33 had recovered with four deaths recorded.

Matabeleland North recorded the country’s first case in March and the patient, a 38-year old Victoria Falls resident, has since recovered after spending 34 days in isolation at his house.

The second case was recorded in Hwange and the patient, who doctors have said is now asymptomatic, is reportedly recovering at his home. The third case was recorded in Victoria Falls, being that of a man who returned from Botswana and tested positive while at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School quarantine.

Doctors have said the patient had been isolated at the Victoria Falls isolation centre at Zimbabwe Aids Project Clinic and is asymptomatic.

The three new cases tested positive at Mabhikwa High School quarantine centre in Lupane and are returnees from South Africa.

They are being isolated at St Luke’s Hospital isolation centre where they are being monitored.

Acting Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director Dr Munekayi Padingani said health officials had started contact tracing on the new cases.

“We now have a total of six cases in the province. Three were recorded in Lupane at a quarantine centre while one, a male who returned from Botswana was recorded in Victoria Falls and has recovered and discharged from isolation,” said Dr Padingani.

“The Lupane cases are not symptomatic and have been isolated at St Luke’s Hospital isolation centre. At the moment we are making follow ups on possible contacts.”

This comes after 26 returnees recently escaped from Mabhikwa with only 11 of them being arrested and taken to court where they were fined $2 000 or six months in jail each, while 15 are still at large.

This raises fears of possible spread of Covid-19 in the communities they may have fled to considering that three tested positive from the same facility.

Dr Padingani appealed to citizens to abide by lockdown rules aimed at preventing spread of Covid-19, urging that people should report any border jumpers especially considering that a majority of confirmed cases are returning citizens.

“We will always tell communities to assist Government in the fight against Covid-19. By doing so we are protecting each other. Statistics are showing that most of the cases are from deportees and returning citizens so if we report them, we contain the virus but if we don’t, we risk enabling its spread,” he said.

He encouraged community members to alert authorities if they see any citizens who illegally entered the country. With four active cases and two recoveries, Matabeleland North has the second lowest number of confirmed cases in the country after Mashonaland Central which had four yesterday. Harare and Matabeleland South lead in terms of confirmed cases with 98 and 41 respectively as of yesterday. -@ncubeleon