All civil servants should now be vaccinated with Government boosting national vaccine supplies through an order of 1,5 million doses expected this week and another 1 million on Sunday, backing up the 2,5 million doses that have arrived since late last month to launch the present acceleration of the national programme.
Cabinet decided yesterday that as all civil servants should now be vaccinated, those unvaccinated will no longer be entitled to Covid-19 insurance and as it cuts duty staff to 25 percent to decongest offices on two-week rotations, vaccinated staff will be given priority.
The move to push forward faster on vaccination and the greater decongestion of civil service workplaces is part of measures to combat the spread of Covid-19, which has seen a surge in weekly cases from 8 013 in the week ending Tuesday last week to 21 346 new cases in the week ending yesterday.
Cabinet noted that the surge is attributable to general complacency in adhering to set Covid-19 preventive measures both in communities and at workplaces.
Speaking after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said extra steps were being taken to manage the surge.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has developed a Covid-19 third wave containment plan, the highlights of which include increasing the bed capacity at Mpilo and Sally Mugabe Central hospitals, strengthening private sector participation, and improving conditions of service for health workers, said Minister Mutsvangwa.
Beatrice Road Infectious Diseases Hospital and Ekusileni Hospital are being designated as Covid-19 district hospitals for Harare and Bulawayo, while virtual hospitals will be operationalised. This will see every district having a rapid response team to attend to cases of acute Covid-19 clinical distress.
The Covid-19 risk allowances are being reviewed. A locum-based Covid-19 risk allowance payment model will be adopted for the health personnel in the red zone as part of the incentive schemes.
-State Media