Eight (8) people tested positive for coronavirus in Hurungwe District, Mashonaland West Province over the weekend, raising fears that COVID-19 might have spread to rural areas which had hitherto remained largely virus-free.
Among some of the infected persons were expecting mothers admitted at Chidamoyo Mission Hospital.
This comes at a time when the country is on high alert amid fears of a third wave and the new Delta variant, previously known as the Indian variant, is affecting Zimbabwe. Mashonaland West provincial medical officer Gift Masocha told NewsDay:
I can confirm that we have had eight new cases in Hurungwe district. Among these were cases of five expecting mothers at Chidamoyo District Hospital.
Karoi Town Council spokesperson Precious Nharara confirmed that one council employee and two interns tested positive and were in self-isolation. She said:
This serves to inform that a council employee and two students on attachment have tested positive for COVID-19. The three are stationed at council’s main offices.
Karoi Town Council on Friday afternoon facilitated the testing of their colleagues and it would seem at the moment it is the three who are positive for COVID-19.
In the meantime, the premises have been disinfected accordingly and contact tracing is currently underway.
The Delta variant of the coronavirus is estimated to be 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant that caused the previous wave of infections in the United Kingdom, the country’s health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday.