7th COVID-19 Monitoring and Advocacy Report: 10 June 2020
By ZADHR Info on June 10, 2020 in COVID-19, COVID-19 Monitoring Reports, Press Statements
To date, over 7,452,809 COVID-19 infections worldwide have been confirmed to the WHO, with the number of deaths globally currently standing at over 418,919. Zimbabwe has recorded a total of 314 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and a total of 4 deaths and 46 recoveries with the cumulative number of tests to date standing at 55 709 (32 904 RDT and 22 805 PCR) (MOHCC Corona Virus (COVID-19) Update: 10 June 2020).
ZADHR publishes this brief as part of its continuous audit of the COVID19 response in Zimbabwe and to provide recommendations to the government and health officials.
1. Quarantine Facilities
ZADHR is deeply concerned with the continued rise in cases in quarantine facilities. The following are our key areas of concern;
- Continuity of Care for Other Conditions
ZADHR has received reports where returnees in quarantines with chronic illness such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS and epilepsy are failing to access services resupply of their drugs. The prolonged quarantine period has exacerbated the situation as there are stockouts amongst the majority of returnees. There is therefore need for additional support on increasing access to anti- retroviral therapy (ART) for first- and second-line drugs, epileptic drugs and other drugs for those with other chronic illnesses. The returnees are unable to access sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services such as contraceptives. ZADHR encourages the government and non-governmental organisations working in the sector to program around this and aid the returnees with such services.
Further, ZADHR is aware that individuals seeking care at public health facilities are being asked to produce COVID-19 certificates in order to be attended to. We also note the high costs of testing at private laboratories who are largely the providers of such services i.e. USD65 at Lancet Laboratories. These exorbitant costs on the majority poor Zimbabweans manifest the social inequities and disparities in access to health. We contend that, if that be the government policy, the government must provide the COVID-19 test at its centres to curb mortality for preventable conditions from individuals who cannot afford to seek care from private service providers. Government, by all means must pursue the adoption and implementation of policies that are non-discriminatory and enhance access to health for everyone.
- Testing and Screening
ZADHR notes with concern the prolonged period in quarantine centre for returnees largely due to the slow turnaround of test results. We believe the delays are aiding local transmission within the centres. Further, the confining of people in a quarantine facility, designed to curb the spread of diseases and where conditions do not meet the recommended minimum benchmarks, without knowing their status is a violation of citizens and returnees to the right to health. We recommended that the government sources adequate test kits and adhere to the quarantine testing guidelines which demand testing on the 1st, 8th and 21st day of quarantine. In view of the growing number of returnees testing positive to COVID-19, we further urge Ministry of Health and Child Care to carry out PCR testing on the first day and that all positive cases are isolated.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Despite committing to providing all frontline health workers with PPE staff including police, minders and cooks in the majority of quarantine centres have reported shortage of PPE. Such a scenario not only exposes the staff to the disease but also their families since the majority return home at the end of their shifts. Further, returnees in these centres also lack PPE such as masks to protect them from transmitting and or acquiring COVID-19 in the camps. ZADHR has received reports where returnees fear acquiring or having acquired COVID-19 in the quarantine centres due to a variety of factors in the centre including lack of PPE.
- Security
Cognisant of the government position to seek to strengthen security at quarantine centres, ZADHR posits that a monolithic approach that seeks to contain detainees from running away without improving the quality of lives in the centres is insufficient. Poor living conditions in the quarantine centres are a disincentive to compliance with quarantine regulations. Majority of detainees are running away from the centres for fear of acquiring the disease in the camps due to conditions that promote the transmission of COVID-19 such as no social distancing, lack of PPE for both returnees and staff at the centres and the sharing of utensils among other issues. ZADHR reiterates the need for government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care to improve quarantine conditions to meet WHO standards and in line with the High Court judgement compelling the Ministry to improve quarantine centres. Improvement of conditions can be a motivating factor for compliance with regulations by returnees.
2. Health Workforce Protection
ZADHR is worried by the continued stockouts of PPE in health facilities. ZADHR has learnt with shock that about 197 Mpilo health workers have been placed in self-quarantine due to exposure COVID-19 following interactions with a fellow staffer who had tested positive to COVID-19. We urge the government sufficiently provide resources to all health care facilities to workplace safety for health workers. Similarly, we note that Parirenyatwa has opened its doors to COVID-19 patients and that there is no standing policy of how health workers involved in the care of the patients are to be taken care of vis-à-vis family and community interaction. We urge the government to prioritise health workers safety through coming up with a robust policy on the conduct and management of health workers involved with COVID-19 patients.
3. Testing and Screening
ZADHR notes that there has been an increase in testing and screening. However, we contend that it remains disproportionately low with regards to population size. We urge the government to appropriate more resources towards this in order to establish the true extent of the prevalence of COVID-19 in the country. This is true particularly in border districts where local people trade daily with communities in neighbouring countries. The probability of transmission is higher in those areas.
4. Human Rights Violations
ZADHR continues to receive reports of cases of people being subjected to violence by lockdown enforcement personnel. We continue to urge the government to use lockdown as a containment measure to limit spread of COVID-19 not as an opportunity to trample on people’s rights. Lockdown violations should and must be responded to in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe.
5. World Health Organization (WHO) New Face Mask Guidelines for COVID-19
The new guidance recommends that the general public wear cloth masks made from at least three layers of fabric “on public transport, in shops, or in other confined or crowded environments.” It also says people over 60 or with preexisting conditions should wear medical masks in areas where there’s community transmission of the coronavirus and physical distancing is impossible, and that all workers in clinical settings should wear medical masks in areas with widespread transmission.
In light of this, to remind members of the public to remember to wash their hands regularly and to social distance as masks alone are deemed to give wearers “a false sense of security, leading to potentially lower adherence to other critical preventive measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene.” (WHO, 2020). We further we urge the government to ensure the enforcement of the guidelines.
