Zimbabwe Lockdown: Day 577 – WCOZ Situation Report

577 days of the COVID-19 Lockdown, and as of 26th of October 2021, the Ministry of Health and Child Care reported that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases had increased to 132 724 after 36 new cases all local cases, were recorded. The highest case tally was recorded in Masvingo with 18 cases. We note that the Hospitalisation rate as at 15:00hrs on 25 October 2021 remained at 48 hospitalised cases: 2 New Admissions, 11 Asymptomatic cases, 32 mild-to-moderate cases, 2 severe cases and 3 cases in Intensive Care Units. Active cases go down to 553. The total number of recoveries went up to 127 497 increasing by 64 recoveries. The recovery rate remains at 95%. A total of 6 691 people received their 1st doses of vaccine. The cumulative number of the 1st dose vaccinated now stands at 3 281 724. A total of 11 004 recipients received their second dose bringing the cumulative number of 2nd dose recipients to 2 556 721. The death toll remained at 4 674, as there was 1 new death recorded.

Critical Emerging Issue

Equity in recognition of vaccine manufactured in the global south

We continue to raise concerns regarding inequity in recognition of vaccine manufactured and administered in the global south. We continue to note that as the global regulations regarding travel and tourism around the world begin to loosen up, increasing restrictions are being placed on the types of vaccines potential travellers are being required to have to qualify for entry into Europe, the America’s, the United Kingdoms and pacific nations.
We call out such practises as discriminatory. We note, with grave concern, the requirements that persons must have been vaccinated with either the Moderna or the Oxford/AstraZeneca or the Pfizer/BioNTech or the single dose Janssen vaccines which directly undermines vaccination efforts of countries in global south.

•We strongly object to the inequity in the recognition of vaccines that have been approved by WHO and are part of the vaccine mix of countries in the global south and are manufactured by China.
•We call for full recognition of WHO approved vaccines globally.
•We call for countries in the global north to take practical steps to demonstrate their support for vaccine equity by directly addressing inclusion of vaccines manufactured and administered in the global south.

Outstanding issues

Prioritising women workers in the healthcare sector

We continue to note the challenges facing the health sector, particularly regarding conditions of service for the health care sector workers. We note that whilst various measures have been undertaken to address on-going concerns, there is limited improvement in real terms for the conditions of critical essential service workers. We note further that as the leadership of the health sector is largely characterised by an over-representation of men thus resulting in skewed support for the women in the sector who constitute the bulk of healthcare workers in positions of nursing and other low-ranking positions in the sector. Consequently, the limitations in provision of housing, transport other support measures to alleviate the working conditions of health sector workers are leaving behind the majority of women health workers, who are ranking at the bottom of the sector.

•We amplify our calls for specific allocation of resources and programs to address conditions of service for nurses directly in the up-coming 2022 National Budget.
•We reiterate our recommendations for Government’s engagement in progressive dialogue with workers in the healthcare sector with special regard for the conditions of the nursing force.

Source: Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe