SEVERAL people who are fully vaccinated are still contracting Covid-19, highlighting the need for vigilance.
Among those who recently tested positive despite being vaccinated are 12 health officials from Karoi and five people from Chiredzi, The NewsHawks has established.
NHAU MANGIRAZI/MORRIS BISHI
Karoi is one of the areas declared a hotspot by the government following a spike in infections.
Mashonaland West acting provincial medical director Gift Masocha told The NewsHawks that some of the health officials who were fully vaccinated are among those who tested positive.
‘‘I can confirm that 12 of the health officials who tested positive at Karoi Hospital were fully vaccinated against the virus with both first and second vaccination jabs.
“The medical history of the other 20 people who tested positive was unknown to health authorities at the time of testing. This was the first batch of 32 people who were tested in Hurungwe. All of those who tested positive had not traveled out of the country.
“Let me clarify that being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 doesn’t stop anyone from being infected. The truth is that the infection will be weaker unlike for those who have not been vaccinated,’’ added Masocha.
Of the 14 health officials who tested positive, 12 are from Karoi referral district hospital while the other two are from Chidamoyo Mission Hospital.
The list also included 14 expecting mothers who were under Mothers Shelter in Chidamoyo.
Health officials said there is nothing amiss about people getting infected after vaccination, but the important thing was that the severity is lessened.
Masvingo provincial Covid-19 taskforce spokesperson Rodgers Irimayi said the development should not raise alarm since it is normal.
“Receiving vaccines does not mean that one cannot test positive to the virus. If one is vaccinated, he or she can be infected but will not be severely affected by the virus. People should visit vaccination centres to receive their jabs to avoid severe symptoms when infected by the virus,” Irimayi said.
The ministry of Health and Child Care placed Hurungwe and Kariba districts under a two-week localised lockdown following the spike in infections. Testing and contact tracing is still ongoing.
As of Monday night this week, 65 of the 215 people who were tested in Hurungwe turned out positive.
This resulted in a total of 183 people testing positive in eight days in the district.
In the first week before localised lockdown, Hurungwe district, which covers Karoi farming town, had registered 118 new cases and three deaths.
The NewsHawks also gathered that some of the health officials who attended the burial of Karoi ambulance accident victims in Rusape and Hurungwe tested positive.
The accident killed five people at the 196-kilometre peg along Harare-Chirundu on 4 June 2021.
According to primary contact tracing and testing, some of the infected staff members had attended burials of the deceased the following weekend.
Masocha confirmed that among those who tested positive from Karoi Hospital were staff members who went to Rusape for the burial of a deceased nurse (Merjury Matutu), who died in the ambulance accident.
‘‘One of the staff members who attended the burial of Matutu (in Rusape) was among the infected while another one who attended the burial of the ambulance driver in Kazangarare in Hurungwe was also infected. Some of these were in a kombi that ferried mourners while one infected nurse was among those who were in the Nyaradzo bus for the burial in Hurungwe,’’ said Masocha.
He added that all of them are now in two-week self-isolation and recovering at home.
‘‘Those infected are all looking better as they are in self-isolation. We have not yet received any report of severe illness. Our calls are for the communities to be cautious of Covid-19 infections and adhere to World Health Organisation guidelines. We must work well to contain the infections that may get out of hand,’’ Masocha said.
Health minister Constantino Chiwenga last week said the country was experiencing a surge in cases, hence the introduction of new measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus with effect from Monday this week.
These include stricter enforcement of preventive measures such as the mandatory wearing of masks in public places, maintaining social and physical distancing.
He also called on the close monitoring of Hurungwe and Kariba districts, now regarded as hotspots.
‘‘With regards to management of local hotspots (Hurungwe, Kariba and Kwekwe), there will be daily national updates of hotspots as part of the daily Covid-19 situational report. The public is being advised not to travel to these hotspot areas and there will be increased testing and contact tracing within the hotspot areas,” Chiwenga said.
