492 days of the COVID-19 Lockdown, and as of 2nd of August 2021, the Ministry of Health and Child Care reported that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases had increased to 110 855 after 1 309 new cases, all local cases, were recorded. The highest case tally was recorded in Mashonaland East with 221 cases. The hotspot updates are as follows: Mashonaland West Province – Hurungwe (14), Kariba (4), Makonde (7), Mashonaland Central – Bindura (19), Shamva (12). Mashonaland East – Marondera (42), Goromonzi (36). Masvingo Province – Chiredzi (74), Mwenenzi (72). Bulawayo Province – Nkulumane (16), Emakhandeni (19) and Northern Suburbs (26), Kwekwe (12), Harare Province (153).
We note that the Hospitalisation rate as of 1500hrs on the 1st of August 2021 was 727 hospitalised cases: 81 new admissions, 192 asymptomatic cases, 435 mild-to-moderate cases, 67 severe cases and 33 cases in Intensive Care Units.
Active cases went down to 27 800. The total number of recoveries went up to 79 420 increasing by 2 755 recoveries. The recovery rate goes up marginally to 72% from 70%. A total of 20 598 people received their 1st dose of vaccine. The cumulative number of the 1st dose vaccinated now stands at 1 674 710. A total of 19 651 recipients received their second dose bringing the cumulative number of 2nd dose recipients to 798 880. The death toll went up to 3 635 after 52 new deaths were recorded.
Critical Emerging Issues
Call for Volunteers to Support the Vaccination Program
We amplify calls for a direct policy to expand the vaccination program by identifying and supporting volunteers across the country to support the vaccination drive. We continue to note real-time gaps in the vaccination drive that have a direct impact on the numbers of persons being vaccinated on a daily basis.
We are concerned about the strain which all health care centres are presently experiencing as the hospitalisation rate remains very high. We note the need to both support the health care sector and ramping up vaccination in terms of human resources and logistics.
- We urge government to develop a policy on volunteers to support the vaccination program.
- We call for rapid on-boarding of the volunteers so that the right numbers of personnel are present at the right centres and at the right time.
Delays in turning policy into practice
We note with concern the administrative and operational response delays in turning policy positions into tangible operational and administrative actions in the fight against COVID-19. We are concerned at the delays as these continue to expose the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of government.
- We urge government to expedite the implementation of policy decision critical to saving lives and livelihoods.
- We call for prioritisation of the public service reform agenda.
Outstanding issues
Inconsistencies and Shortages of Vaccines
We raise concern at the inconsistencies of vaccines and shortages of vaccines at various vaccination centres. We are greatly concerned at continued reports of shortages of vaccines on the ground whilst deliveries of vaccines at national level have been recently recorded.
We note with concern the slowing down of the vaccination program at a time when the country is still in the vaccination blitz period and limited jabs are being administered. We are concerned by growing community reports indicating inconsistencies of vaccine supplies which may be undermining public efforts to secure vaccines. We note that the number of persons vaccinated daily is shifting on a daily basis, thereby completely eroding the booking and tracking systems of individual vaccination centres. We, therefore, warn against such ineffectiveness and inefficiencies in the vaccination program.
- We urge Government to address logistical and distribution problems pertaining to the vaccination program.
- We call for main / large scale vaccination centres to hold adequate supplies of vaccines for consistencies in numbers of persons processed per day.
- We call for rapid deliveries of vaccines to centres supported by public announcements at community and rural health-care centres to ensure that numbers of vaccines match numbers of persons being attended to at vaccination centres.
Source: Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ)
