Update on Covid-19 situation

Ms Chaze Sibamba, Social Worker at St Francis’ Hospital reports:
“More measures have been put in place, handwashing points have been put around the hospital and at the Main Entrance, all clients coming in the hospital have to go through the triage shelter which is just somewhere outside, where they are asked of any history of travel and other questions related to covid. The guards at the entrance always have boxes for the face masks, given to all clients entering the hospital.
Bedsiders are not allowed in the wards to avoid congestions, only one person is allowed but are also adivised to stay outside the ward and only enter when needed. They not allowed to bring children.

Testing was mandatory but now the government changed the system to only test individuals with suspected symptoms. So now at OPD there room 9 tis being used for swabbing and testing clients. Room 6 is being used as a holding room for clients that do not look too stable.. If the condition is bad the District Office is informed, who then evacuate the patient to Kalindawalo Isolation center.
The stable clients are given treatment and then sent home to self isolate. The positive thing is that the number of days for isolation was reduced from 14 days to only 5 days. After 5 days one is required to come back for a re-test, if positive again another 5 days of quarantaine is obligatory. I feel the decision was brought to reduce the shortages.
Students from the nursing school are back, so they are actually assisting a lot at the wards.

The schools date of opening was delayed by 2 weeks from 18th January to 1st February. This was after the president directed that all schools must put covid preventive measures in place, and yesterday on ZNBC news the media went to schools to check if all was in place. From my observation and what was being reported it seems most schools had prepared well.”