561 days of the COVID-19 Lockdown, and as of 9th of October 2021, the Ministry of Health and Child Care reported that, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases had increased to 131 796 after 34 new cases all local cases, were recorded. The highest case tally was recorded in Manicaland with 13 cases. We note that the Hospitalisation rate as at 15:00hrs on 9 October 2021 was 40 hospitalised cases: 0 New Admissions, 4 Asymptomatic cases, 31 mild-to-moderate cases, 3 severe cases and 2 cases in Intensive Care Units.
Active cases went down to 1 931. The total number of recoveries went up to 125 228 increasing by 201 recoveries. The recovery rate drops marginally to 94% from 95%. A total of 2 847 people received their 1st doses of vaccine. The cumulative number of the 1st dose vaccinated now stands at 3 171 698. A total of 6 359 recipients received their second dose bringing the cumulative number of 2nd dose recipients to 2 409 204. The death toll went up to 4 637 after 1 new death was recorded.
We are pleased to note the drop in hospitalisations and to further note zero new admissions of new cases of COVID-19. We call upon communities to vigilant and sustain the trend of reductions in infection and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Critical Emerging Issue
Monitoring of Variants in Zimbabwe
We note with concern reports indicating potential fourth wave of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe which may be driven by variants of COVID-19. Whilst we are fully aware of the continuing measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe, in particular travel related containment measures, we continue to seek an update regarding the tracking and tracing of COVID-19 Variants of Concern in circulation in Zimbabwe. This update remains critical at this time to support the response mechanism of communities and to improve the public’s level of adherence to COVID-19 containment measures.
We note the concerns of communities to the potential presence of the variants which have been identified in South Africa and also the potential changes in the variants and mutations which were already circulating locally.
- We urge the Ministry of Health and Child Care to update on the current mutations and variants identified and in circulation in Zimbabwe
- We specifically call for full reporting on Variants of Interest and Variants of Concern tracked and traced locally.
Outstanding issues
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 Kingdom and pacific nations. We call out such practises as discriminatory. We note, with grave concern, the requirements that travelling persons must have been vaccinated with either the Moderna or the Oxford/AstraZeneca or the Pfizer/BioNTech or the single dose Janssen vaccines are directly undermining vaccination efforts of countries in global south. We strongly object to the inequity in the recognition of vaccines that have been approved by the 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
Source: Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe
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