By A Correspondent- The government said Victoria Falls is not yet safe in case the country experiences another wave of COVID-19 as the resort town’s health facilities are operating without oxygen tanks and negative pressure rooms which are key in the event of Covid-19..

The health scare was revealed during a tour of health facilities by Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Dr John Mangwiro in Victoria Falls early this week.

Dr Mangwiro toured the resort town in the company of chief director curative services in the Ministry Dr Maxwell Mareza Hove and Victoria Falls mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini, ahead of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Wednesday visit to Victoria Falls.

“We don’t have an ICU for Covid-19 here and we are creating one now where we are going to have six ICU beds. But for it to be functional we need negative pressure which is also not available and I hear the whole province doesn’t have it. Funds for Covid-19 are readily available and can be accessed through the taskforce.

“The ICU is a specialised ward and negative pressure sucks out any infected air and takes it out where the virus is burnt and released after being rendered sterile. Nurses will refuse to work in an ICU if there is no negative pressure because they will get infected,” said Dr Mangwiro.

Dr Mangwiro said it was disastrous not to have a Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Victoria Falls Hospital, whose oxygen is also stored in Hwange because of the lack of an oxygen tank.

The existing ICU has no oxygen outlets and a negative pressure room which Dr Mangwiro said was dangerous in the event of an emergency.

A negative pressure room sucks air with a virus and channels it out where it is burnt at high temperature and released into the atmosphere when it is sterile.

Dr Mangwiro said Victoria Falls Hospital should be well equipped to be able to deal with emergencies as a tourist destination.