BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Zimbabwean doctors have expressed concern about the high number of Covid-19 related deaths at a time the country is witnessing a decline in new infections.
Seventeen people were killed by the disease on Sunday when the country reported 199 new infections.
In a joint advisory, the College of Primary Health Care Physicians of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians said the number of deaths were “unacceptably high”.
“Whilst the last few weeks saw a decline in the number of Covid-19 cases, we are concerned that the number of deaths remain unacceptably high, with one in three people dying outside of health
facilities,” the two bodies said,
“These deaths are commonest among the elderly and people living with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, high blood pressure and heart disease.”
Zimbabwe experienced a third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak that began around June, but the cases have been declining significantly in recent weeks.
The third wave, the new Delta variant of the coronavirus, has been more deadly than the previous ones with the country reporting a record number of fatalities.
CPCPZ and ZCPHP said the high death rate could be attributed to the fact that most people were seeking treatment when it was already too late.
“People who develop Covid-19 symptoms that require medical attention are delaying in seeking professional medical care,” the doctors said.
“As a result of late presentation, families end up requiring very expensive treatment and long hospitalisation or lives that could have been saved are being lost.”
The doctors are also worried about the slow pace of Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 vaccination programme.
“With over 15 percent of the targeted population having been fully vaccinated, we are particularly concerned that despite being prioritised, many elderly people and citizens living with chronic medical conditions are still not vaccinated,” they added.
As of Sunday, 2 312 417 people Zimbabweans had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Only 1 460 162 people have been fully vaccinated.
The doctors urged Zimbabweans to ensure that elderly members of their households and those living with chronic illnesses were fully vaccinated.