Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter
SCHOOLS should not be closed to provide a measured and efficient response to the threats posed by Covid-19 in Zimbabwe as vaccines are the only way out, health researchers have said.
They argued that infection prevention and control strategies, including vaccination of learners and teachers and surveillance in schools should be intensified instead of closing schools.
Since March 2020 when the first cases of Covid-19 were reported, Zimbabwe, like many others countries, has gone through periods of closing and reopening of schools as part of the national Covid-19 control and mitigation measures.
Zimbabwe has so far recorded 234 589 Covid-19 cases including 225 233 recoveries and 5 388 deaths.
On Tuesday the Government announced that everyone aged 12 and above can now be vaccinated against Covid-19.
This was after the Paediatric Association of Zimbabwe, which brings together specialists in child health, gave the greenlight.
This now opens the way for a blitz to vaccinate all secondary school pupils and some of the top year in primary schools.
The development has been welcomed by University of Zimbabwe-based Dr Grant Murewanhema and colleagues who in their recent research paper tittled, “Optimising Covid-19 Vaccination Policy to Mitigate Transmission Within Schools in Zimbabwe”, recommended that vaccination be rolled out to younger citizens who were not yet eligible.
The researchers have also said schools promote the social, mental, physical, and moral development of children and should not be closed for extended periods.
“With this viewpoint, the authors argue that schools should not be closed to provide a measured and efficient response to the threats posed by the Covid-19 epidemic.
Rather, infection prevention and control strategies, including vaccination of learners and teachers, and surveillance in schools should be heightened,” said Dr Murewanhema.
“The information presented here suggests that schools should remain open due to the preponderance of evidence indicating the overriding positive impacts of this policy on the health, development, and well-being of children.”
During the first two waves between March 2020 and March 2021 schools were wholly or partly closed at different intervals.
“Some concerns have been raised linking Covid-19 with the increase in the incidence of unwanted teenage pregnancies, child marriage, illicit substance use, and child labour,” said Dr Murewanhema.
“Vaccination is established as the best preventive public health intervention to deal with the spread, morbidity, and mortality associated with infectious diseases.
“Since the advent of vaccination programmes for infectious diseases globally, millions of lives have been saved from infectious diseases globally, and some have been eradicated or are near eradicated.”
The doctors also called on the Government to work on reducing the cost of testing so that learners test regularly.
“Colourful, age-appropriate information, education and communication (IEC) material illustrating such aspects as physical distancing, hand-sanitising, and hand-washing is needed and must be developed urgently,” he said.
“Many schools have resorted to making children wear face shields, but there is no evidence suggesting that they have a preventive role in the school environment and may only make children uncomfortable.” — @thamamoe
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