The Sunday Mail
Prince Mushawevato
Wearing a face mask or face coverings in most, if not all, high-density suburbs is considered unfashionable.
Instead, on rare occasions that the masks are used — often incorrectly — they are regarded as a passport to gain entry into supermarkets and to access the services of retailers that insist on recommended health guidelines.
But it is only the formal businesses that insist on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as small grocers and retailers use their discretion.
In most instances, the face masks are being worn not to avoid infection from coronavirus, but to avoid arrest.
And experts are now trying to explain the reason why people are letting their guard down.
“Some will only start showing fear when they test positive. Most people have not seen local Covid-19 patients, hence they consider the virus foreign,” explained Dr Sandra Bhasatara, a sociologist and University of Zimbabwe lecturer.
“However, we cannot attribute the reckless behaviour to lack of fear or knowledge of the virus. Almost every family has lost a relative to AIDS, yet we still have promiscuous behaviour.”
Although coronavirus cases are growing, the statistics have remained faceless and nameless for most people, as they have not been directly or indirectly affected by the virus.
To make matters worse, most carriers of the virus seem to be asymptomatic, as they do not show any signs of illness.
Slow infection rates?
It is now 93 days since the country first reported its first confirmed case of the disease on March 20 — patient zero from Victoria Falls — who has since recovered.
In that period, it has claimed four people, including Zororo Makamba, the son of businessman and politician James Makamba, who succumbed on March 23; and Gogo Nguni-Chitemere, mother to former Cabinet Minister Sylvester Nguni, who died on April 21.
But, most noticeably, the rate of local infections has been seemingly slow.
When the country went into a 14-day lockdown on March 30, it only had eight confirmed cases.
An additional 17 cases, which took the total infections to 25, were recorded during the two-week period to April 19.
A further 26 cases were recorded during the April 9 and May 3 lockdown extension, increasing the infections to 34.
The results of the lockdown were seemingly telling in May when the country enjoyed a seven-day streak — from May 1 to May 7 — without recording a single coronavirus case.
The crawling rate of infections have spawned various theories suggesting that the immune response in Africans and Europeans differed, especially in the case of genes involved in inflammatory and antiviral responses.
A recent academic paper published by the USA’s Social Sciences Research Council on May 14, 2020 — authored by two African researchers Dr Duncan Omaga and Dr Bartholomew Ondigo — claims that the Covid-19 strain in Africa might not be as virulent as strains affecting some parts of the world where fatalities have been grimly higher.
“The progression of Covid-19 infections and fatalities in the region appears to be upsetting earlier epidemiological predictions and mathematical models. Africans are not dying in the streets, and the chances of widespread deaths are decreasing with time.
“Although the most optimistic scientists are cautious, the Covid-19 crisis on the African continent is more in the economic and political space,” read part of the paper.
Wealth Health Organisation (WHO) statistics show that in the 125-day period from the first reported case on the continent on February 14 to Thursday last week, only 265 000 cases and 7 000 deaths had been recorded.
Africa is presently the least impacted region in the world, with less than 5 percent of reported cases and less than 1 percent of all deaths, despite having 17 percent of the global population.
This has bucked the trend experienced elsewhere.
In the United States, for example, which reported its first case on January 20, infections had risen to more than 2,2 million, with 120 000 deaths by Thursday last week.
Last week, Solomon Zewdu, deputy director for global development in Ethiopia and Africa for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said countries on the continent could deal with the disease better owing to past experiences learnt in fighting contagious and infectious maladies.
“The first is obvious, and it’s that screening, tracing, and social distancing measures work, especially when implemented quickly. It’s widely agreed that South Africa’s strict lockdown bought critical time to prepare health systems and flattened the Covid-19 curve,” he said.
Adding: “The second lesson involves Africa’s recent history. The continent’s experience in fighting other outbreaks has helped it fight this one . . . In other places across the continent, people readily adopted non-pharmaceutical interventions despite PPE shortages, which people in Western countries were slow to do.”
All this has cemented the perception that the coronavirus might not be as deadly as it has been in other continents such as Europe and America.
Winter is here!
Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Portia Manangazira insists that there was need for people to follow health guidelines since most of those affected do not look ill.
“It is important that people know that wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is good for them. Someone may not look sick but still transmitting the virus. The high level of ignorance goes on to people that are wearing dirty masks. The masks must be washed and dried in the sun or ironed,” said Dr Manangazira.
“Wearing of masks and practising social distancing should not be done for the police but for your own safety. We have been lucky that we do not have severe cases as yet, but, sadly, some are taking this as reason to engage in reckless behaviour.”
She also believes that the country is less likely to be hard hit by the disease owing to the precautionary measures and guidelines that have been taken by Government to pre-empt the spread of the virus.
“We have recorded cases of local transmission, but a majority are imported cases. The virus is unlikely to have the same impact in Africa like it did in Asia and Europe. In the West, it affected the aged population most.”
Scientists believe that this notwithstanding, loosening the guard might be fatal, particularly at a time when the advent of winter might result in an exponential increase of the virus, which had claimed more than 446 000 lives around the world by Friday.
The Southern Hemisphere, including Sub-Saharan Africa, is now moving into winter.
During the winter season, influenza, of which Covid-19 seems to be a variant strain, tend to spread the most as the concentration of respiratory droplets usually rises due to coughing and sneezing.
It also becomes difficult distinguishing between influenza and Covid-19.
And worryingly, cases in Zimbabwe have been on the rise as Zimbabweans in the Diaspora continue to retrace their footsteps back home. This has coincided with increased local cases.
Statistics show that the first highest single-day rise in cases were recorded on May 23 when 12 new cases were recorded in Masvingo.
Two days later, on May 25, 64 new cases — the highest single-day increase that has been recorded so far — were registered, of which 61 where all returnees.
Also, more than half of all the 463 that had been recorded by Thursday — 260 cases —were registered in the 18-day period from June 1.
Critically, of the 260 infections, 240 were from South Africa, which has emerged as a hotspot for the virus in Sub-Saharan Africa.
By Thursday, South Africa had 80 412 cases and 1 674 deaths.
“We are concerned about winter. Hot spot areas that usually recorded high cases of influenza strains have been identified and we are conducting tests, looking at best possible ways to assist the areas. We will need to be able to distinguish between influenza and Covid-19 cases,” explained Dr Manangazira to The Sunday Mail Society.
“Our climate and population is also different from that in South Africa, a hard-hit African country. For instance, we cannot compare ourselves to Cape Town, particularly the Western Cape, the most affected, which has fewer people of colour and low temperatures than ours.
“However, we cannot use this to rest on our laurels,” she said.
Authorities are, however, heartened by the fact that most of the Covid-19 cases are imported and quarantined.
But there are real fears that community transmissions might spread the disease to the vulnerable high-risk populations, which have been shown to be succumbing the most to the coronavirus.
Zimbabwe has more than 1,2 million people living with HIV and AIDS.
Stubborn
But despite the potential dangers being flagged by public health officials and Government, most people continue to disregard the recommended preventative measures.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) arrested 67 000 people in the first 10 weeks of the lockdown for various violations.
Most of the people were arrested for unnecessary movement or failure to wear masks, liquor-related offences, opening businesses without the required documents among other offences.
In some community shopping centres, social distancing is not being observed, with smokers and imbibers enjoying their daily routines.
Nightclubs and social clubs are supposed to be closed but most of them are operating through the back door.
Outdoor activities such as soccer and gatherings still continue.
More on www.sundaymail.co.zw
“What can I do? I do not have money but also wish to drink or smoke like my counterparts. If I am offered a sip of beer or a pull of smoke, I will not hesitate. Not even corona (Covid-19) will deter me,” boldly declared Sekuru Makusha in Murehwa last week, as he and his colleagues enjoyed their opaque beer.
“Zimbabweans are naturally strong. I do not think we will die this side. We are stronger than people overseas,” added his colleague.
Some rural dwellers believe that the disease is only for urbanites.
Of the few that are wearing face masks, the coverings are often worn improperly as they are simply strapped on the chin and do not cover the nose and mouth as recommended by the WHO.
Others are willing to push the envelope and risk infections in order to make ends meet.
“I know there is Covid-19 and it kills, but if I do not go about my usual routine, I also risk dying of hunger and stress,” said Mbare-based Tapiwa Marega.
Dr Sandra Bhatasara observes: “It is not like people are not scared of Covid-19.
“They are! However, they maintain certain habits like drinking and sharing cigarettes because it is what keeps them going. If they stop or are forced to do so, they will get depressed and this might push some to extremes like committing suicide.”
The country continues to ramp up measures to contain the spread and manage the disease as the world tries to find a vaccine for Covid-19, an invisible enemy that continues to confound scientists and the layman alike.
