Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals which has recorded seventy Covid-19 positive cases amongst its staff members since the start of the Coronavirus era has all but shut down.

The hospital has announced that it will no longer be attending to general patients but will be attending only dire emergencies only as a way to curb spreading the novel coronavirus.

The move comes in the sudden upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Zimbabwe in recent weeks.

Read the hospital’s full statement on the matter below:

NOTICE ON MEASURES TO RESPOND TO THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS REGARDING THE RISE IN COVID-19 CASES

Having noted the increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the community and among Health Care Workers and the lack of personnel due to the ongoing industrial action, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals is taking the following steps with immediate effect:

1. All staff members, patients and visitors should have a temperature screen on entry into the hospital.

2. Only dire emergencies will be admitted.
3. All new and current in-patients will have PCR tests done.
4. All patients and staff will be assumed COVID positive unless tested and confirmed otherwise.
5. Dire surgical emergencies which can’t wait for PCR results before intervention will be swabbed but operated on with all relevant IPC measures being taken with the assumption of them being pos-itive until proven otherwise. The anesthetic, surgical, theatre and ward staff should all agree on the necessity of proceeding in those circumstances.
6. All staff should at least have a baseline PCR test before 31 July 2020 and subsequently be tested as per national guidelines.

7. Isolation of staff will be guided by the National and WHO guidelines.
8. All areas will have regular disinfection or fumigation in addition to standard guidelines when a positive case is picked.
9. All other protocols and SOPs should be adhered to, for example, movement of patients to the red zone and handling of suspect cases.

Zimbabwe as of last night has recorded 2295 COVID-19 cases including 32 deaths.