Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A NURSING tutor at St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane, Matabeleland North tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday resulting in some of her students being told to self-isolate.
Acting Matabeleland North Provincial Medical Director Dr Munekai Padingani said contact tracing is underway to establish the number of students who may have had contact with the positive case and establish the source of the case.
He however said no lessons were underway as students are only doing small group discussions and contact tracing will establish how many were on site and had contact with the tutor. The hospital suspects that the case may have been imported from Bulawayo where the nursing school tutors visited.
Dr Padingani said hospital services including outpatients and maternity wards will not be affected.
“It is true and the tutor has been isolated although she is asymptomatic. For now we can’t tell how many students had contact with her but tracing is underway on those who have been doing discussions at the school. So we will only know how many may have been affected after the process is completed,” said Dr Padingani.
Sources at the Catholic-run institution told Chronicle that about 12 students were told to self-isolate at the students’ quarters.
“She is a tutor and does not go to patients hence everyone else is safe. Our tutors visit Bulawayo most of the time and the case may have come from there. Lupane is generally quiet as we are no longer getting cases. We are doing contact tracing,” explained Dr Padingani.
He said Matabeleland North has a total of 145 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, including 139 recoveries and three deaths.
There are three active cases in the province, two in Hwange and one in Lupane. — @ncubeleon
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