Verdict: FALSE
On March 23, 2020 an online news portal ZWnews published an article titled: Kwekwe General Hospital Nurse a coronavirus Suspect which claimed that several staffers at Kwekwe General hospital where placed in self quarantine after a nurse at the district’s largest medical referral institution developed symptoms of the deadly pandemic.
“Several staffers at Kwekwe General Hospital have reportedly been placed in self-quarantine after a nurse at the district’s largest medical referral institution developed symptoms of the deadly epidemic. According to well-placed sources at Kwekwe General Hospital, there is an unnamed nurse who has since developed symptoms of the deadly pandemic after she recently travelled from Portugal. She is said to be in self-quarantine at her residence in the high density suburb of Mbizo while waiting for test results. The hospital authorities could not be immediately reached for confirmation during the time of publishing,” read the story.
Contacted for a comment, Kwekwe District Environmental Health Officer, Vitalis Kwashira said the report was false.
“This is not true, our staff is not in quarantine and there is no nurse at the institution who developed symptoms,” said Kwashira.
In its daily update, on March 25, 2020, The Ministry of Health and Child care revealed that the country has five confirmed cases to date.
“Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has 5 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including one death”.
“The Ministry would also like to advice the nation that the third case we reported yesterday was today admitted for treatment uhnder isolation at Beatrice Road Infectious Disease Hospital. He remains in a stabl;e condition and is assisting our teams in intensified surveillance through contact tracing,” said Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, Dr Agnes Mahomva in a statement.
