Zimbabwe hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19

GOVERNMENT hospitals across the country are overwhelmed by the high number of Covid-19 patients seeking admission and treatment, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.

Speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing Tuesday, Mutsvangwa said government was mobilising resources and medical personnel to deal with the growing demand for hospital space due to the rising number of Covid 19 patients.

Thousands are also visiting the public health centres to get vaccinated against the virus.

Zimbabwe has been witnessing an upsurge in new Covid-19 infections and deaths with 2 661 new infections and 51 deaths recorded by the Health Ministry Tuesday.

"The surge in cases has led to an increase in the demand for beds in (public) hospitals, hence the government is expediting the full capacitation of isolation and treatment centres throughout the country," said Mutsvangwa.

Mutsvangwa said the national Covid-19 vaccination programme was now open to everyone, but frontline personnel would still be prioritised at vaccination centres.

She also said following reports on delays in grain deliveries by farmers, Cabinet had directed that farmers will not be required to produce Covid-19 vaccination certificates when delivering their produce to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).

However, they will still be required to observe all Covid-19 regulations.