(Last Updated on January 14, 2021 by GERALD NCUBE)
CHITUNGWIZA – Chitungwiza Municipality has announced that it will be temporarily closing a part of St Mary’s Clinic due to a spike in Covid-19 cases which has left its health department under-staffed.
Acting Town Clerk, Dr Tonderai Kasu said while the Municipality’s Health Department was already facing a shortage of staff, the recent surge in Covid-19 cases has seen seven frontline health workers test positive and one succumb to the virus over the last week.
Dr Kasu also said currently 21 frontline health workers were currently isolated after being in contact with positive cases.
The Clinic will remain open for emergency cases only while non-emergency cases will be attended at Zengeza Clinic.
“Over the last one week, seven (7) Chitungwiza City Health Department front line health workers have tested positive for Covid-19 and one (1) of our front line health workers has died after previously having tested positive for Covid-19. We also now have a total of twenty-one (21) of our frontline health workers that are currently in self-isolation because they are contacts of the positive cases.
“As a result of the current severe staff shortages, and with immediate effect, Chitungwiza Municipality will be temporarily closing one of its municipal clinics, that is St. Mary’s Clinic. This clinic shall remain open for emergency cases only. All non-emergency cases that would normally be seen at St. Mary’s shall be attended to at Zengeza Clinic for the time being,” said Kasu.
Zimbabwe has been battling with a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic which has forced the government to reactivate level four lockdown measures in a bid to curb the spread.