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Sydney Mubaiwa Masvingo Correspondent
The fight against the spread of Covid-19 in Masvingo has received a major boost after the province’s seven districts received an initial batch of rapid-result test kits from Government.
This follows a stern warning by Government against the sale of unapproved kits by pharmacies in the province.
Provincial medical director Dr Amadeus Shamu confirmed the development aimed at promoting mass testing as part of efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“We have received rapid result test kits and this is aimed at testing large volumes of people per day as part of efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic,’’ said Dr Shamu.
Government is targeting to test at least 40 000 people by the end of April.
The criteria for those targeted for testing have been widened to include all patients with fever in all health facilities countrywide.
Government employees reporting for duty and all persons working during the lockdown interfacing with the community are going to be tested.
Those who fall under this bracket include law enforcement agents, employees of service providers such as retail business, petrol attendants and food outlets.
All health care workers in the frontline in local health facilities, infectious diseases hospitals, provincial and district hospitals, as well as private institutions are also going to be tested.
During a provincial taskforce tour to assess shutdown compliance in Mwenezi, Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs Cde Ezra Chadzamira warned private companies, individuals and pharmacies to desist from selling unapproved Covid-19 rapid test kits.
All rapid test kits are supposed to comply with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and World Health Organisation (WHO) specifications.
“As Government, we strongly oppose the selling of rapid test kits by individuals as the tests may produce inaccurate results,” he said. “Government is planning to set up coronavirus testing centres in each province, down to districts and I am sure that every isolation facility in the province is going to have the important facility as we are moving forward with the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.’’
Cde Chadzamira said all cases of pneumonia admitted in hospitals and all people above 60 years of age admitted in hospitals with chronic diseases such as asthma, hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases now had to be tested for Covid-19.
“This strategy will see the teams in the Ministry of Health and Child care conducting tests across the province and the country at large and the criteria for those to be tested have been widened to include all travellers coming into the country from affected countries,” he said.
Masvingo is still to record its first Covid-19 positive case with all suspected cases tested to date coming out negative.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter