264 Covid cases in schools

Schools have recorded about 264 Covid-19 infections since the resumption of lessons, with the affected pupils being isolated in sick bays or in special dormitories.

In Mberengwa, Lutheran Church-run boarding schools, Masase, Chegato and Mnene, have reported cases. Chegato High School under Chief Maposi is the hardest with over 60 cases followed by Masase High with 40 and Mnene High with 14 cases as of yesterday.

In Masvingo, Covid-19 has broken out at four Gutu schools where 68 pupils and teachers have tested positive. The cases were recorded at Gutu and Alheit boarding schools and Mutandwi and Mushayavanhu day schools.

Of the 68 positive infections, 65 are pupils while three are teachers, with all, but one of the positive cases being asymptomatic. One pupil at Gutu High School has severe symptoms and is hospitalised at Gutu Mission Hospital.

Gutu District Covid-19 taskforce spokesperson Ms Miriam Dube said Gutu High School was the worst affected with 48 pupils and two teachers testing positive while Alheit High, has 14 cases and Mushayavanhu High School has three.

In Matabeleland South, Tongwe High School has recorded 82 cases in the last 10 days and Ministry of Health and Child Care authorities in Beitbridge have recommended the implementation of a two weeks localised lockdown at the school. Tongwe High has about 600 pupils. It is located about 40km northwest of Beitbridge town.

District medical officer Dr Lenos Samhere said: "We put the first 12 cases into isolation and continued to monitor the situation on daily basis. On Tuesday, we sent the rapid response team to the same school when the cases had increased to 27. So they then tested 504 pupils and 55 tested positive for the condition.  

"Among these, 49 are boarders, while six are day scholars. So our plan is to have a localised lockdown at the school for two weeks."

In Mberengwa, the District Development Coordinator Mr Ndeya Nyede, confirmed the outbreak and said Government had since intensified the testing and vaccination in the district.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases at Chegato High School are 63 out of 150 PCR tests done while at Masase there were 40 confirmed cases out of 469 tests done," he said.

Mr Nyede said some dormitories at the affected schools have been turned into isolation halls and tests continue to establish if there could be any other cases. He said the district Civil Protection Unit was on the ground to help with the vaccination of willing people.