Test, Trace, Treat and Repeat! Zimbabwe Lockdown – Day 10

In light of the Ministry of Health and Child Care update on the 7th of April 2020 this Situation Report is hence dedicated to the urgent issues under the direction of the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

It must be appreciated that the public, has to date, largely cooperated with Government on seeking to stop the spread of the COVID-19 by largely staying at home during the lockdown. The Government therefore must play its part and meet the citizens halfway by publicizing multi-layered strategies to ensure that the common goal is achieved. This common goal must be anchored on a robust program of Testing, Tracing and Treating.

The testing protocols in Zimbabwe, on Day 10 of the Lockdown, remains severely limited and insufficient for a population that travels as aggressively as Zimbabweans do at all socio -economic levels and for various purposes. The developments that have unfolded since the first confirmed case, culminating to the latest reported death, obligate the Government of Zimbabwe, to step up and address the preparedness and capacity of Government to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This must include giving due weight to the following:

1. To date, Zimbabwe has only conducted 371 cumulative tests, in a population of approximately 15 million people.
2. Zimbabwe from the beginning has only had a total of 500 test-kits, 371 of which are already gone.
3. The 20 000 test-kits donated by CHINA are not usable and reagents are being procured to make those test kits usable.
4. The Government has not itself, directly procured and delivered any testing kits.
5. No adequate information has been furnished regarding progress on tracing of contacts of the first COVID-19 death. The details remain sketchy.
6. To date the nation has not yet been informed on the status of the 13 000 returning residents from South Africa.
7. To date Wilkins remains the only treatment centre for COVID-19 patients and as at 8 April 2020, COVID-19 testing is only conducted in Harare.
8. News of the circumstances surrounding the second COVID-19 death, where the patient was continuously treated without conducting tests on COVID-19, despite showing symptoms of the disease. In addition, the criteria used for screening the patient was to merely determine whether or not he had travelled out of the country recently. The patient eventually passed on without a timeous diagnosis showing that he was COVID-19 positive.

The facts speak for themselves and we therefore recommend the following:

1. Testing of travellers from High-Risk Countries

Calling upon Government to urgently build confidence in the COVID-19 prevention measures by reporting on the extent of the monitoring of the over 13 000 persons who had recently travelled to high risk places and, in particular to tests those persons as well.

• It is critical in the sense that conducting tests on this group of travellers, at the very minimum, assist the Government in detecting and identifying persons who may indeed be asymptomatic, and yet are possibly carriers of the infections. Research has proven that asymptomatic patients can still transmit the virus to others. This matter therefore cannot be resolved without clinical testing.
• Transparency on the monitoring and testing of the above group of persons is critical to support confidence in government processes.

2. Testing must be accessible outside of Harare

COVID-19 is a decentralized infection. It will not affect those in Harare alone. The present reports do not give confidence to communities around the country on the ability of citizens nationwide to be able to receive adequate testing and treatment.

Whilst we recognise that there have been announcements on testing facilities due to be set up around the country, the readiness and sufficiency of these facilities and testing labs around the country is of concern. It must always be borne in mind that, delayed testing, results in delayed access to treatment therefore eroding the confidence that may have been present.

• Testing in real time, on site, is therefore necessary in Matebeleland North, Matebeleland South, Bulawayo, Midlands, Manicaland, Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland West, as the virus transcends regional boundaries.
  • Testing and Tracing in the face of in-coming cold weather and flu season; – Noting that research has shown that COVID-19 may exhibit similar symptoms to Cold/Flu and Pneumonia cases, and while it may seem trite, there is need to upscale clinical testing for COVID-19 is necessary so as to assure the public, that Zimbabwe has the capacity to determine COVID-19 vs Flue/Colds or Pneumonia, particularly if persons begin to flood the call centre or community health centres.

3. Tracing

Noting that the ability to report fully on the accessibility and readiness of centres to test and treat is critical to secure nationwide confidence in this regard. Realizing that some of the confirmed cases reported by Government indicate domestic transmission;

• We reiterate that the need for tracing teams goes beyond just the tracing of those few cases that we have tested.
• We call upon strengthened efficacy of the tracing teams and their operational methodologies to ensure that tracers do accurately and comprehensively trace person who may have been exposed to COVID19.
• Zimbabwe needs to do more in tracing potential cases in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

4. Procurement

Reiterating the need to escalate procurement processes of the equipment and products required for testing tracing and treating COVID-19, particularly as it is clear that there are global procurement challenges regarding the same.

• We draw the attention of the Government to the work in South Korea and Senegal, which countries have developed rapid testing kits which are easy to use and easily accessible.
• We call upon Government itself, which holds our funds as taxpayers to directly procure testing kits and other COVID-19 equipment.

5. Potential Surge Pre/Post Lockdown

We implore the Government to communicate its position and preparedness for the possibility that Zimbabwe may experience a surge prior to the end of the lockdown and or Post the Lockdown Period.

• Therefore, the roadmap to stopping the spread of the disease must be clearly well-articulated and understood by the country at large, to ensure full cooperation and support by the country towards one goal.
• Once again, without anchoring this on mass testing, policy makers will not have a greater set of facts to assist in reaching and undertaking the appropriate decisions.

This SITREP is develop by and through the collective network of organisational and individual members of the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe who are engaged at community levels to national levels in the COVID19 Zimbabwe response.

Source: Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ)