HARARE, May 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Zimbabwe has confirmed that the deadly Indian coronavirus variant, B.1.617, has hit the country, raising fears that it could overwhelm the southern African nation’s poorly-resourced healthcare system.
The strain was confirmed after samples taken from a Kwekwe man who died after contact with a niece, who had just returned from India, tested positive to COVID-19.
Robson Kadenhe (76) of Chicago Plots along Gokwe Road, who was a hypertension patient, died Wednesday after testing positive to the virus.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also Health minister, confirmed the presence of the variant in Zimbabwe.
“Genomic sequencing test was carried out on samples collected from a reported focalized outbreak in Kwekwe which was linked to a traveler from India on the 29th of April 2021, a high risk coronavirus transmission area,” Chiwenga said.
“The test conducted revealed that the B.1.617 variant predominantly from the Republic of India was detected at the focalized outbreak in Kwekwe.”
He added: “The nation is therefore, advised that this variant B.1.617 is now in Zimbabwe.
“The following travel advisory is, therefore, being issued, people travelling from or transiting from India will be subject to mandatory quarantine at a designated quarantine centre and at their own cost. These travelers will be subjected to a coronavirus test on arrival despite the status of their travelling certificate.”
Kadenhe’s wife, Mary also tested positive, but their niece Nataly Kadenhe (21) tested negative to the disease.
Nataly, according to a Kwekwe City Council health report released last Friday, had returned from lndia on April 29.
After contact-tracing, nine people have since tested positive to the novel coronavirus.
The variant which was first detected in India in February has gone global, spreading to dozens of countries raising fears that the strain will overwhelm healthcare systems and potentially undermine the rollout of vaccines.
The Asian country now accounts for 50% of coronavirus cases and 30% of deaths from the virus globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). — NNN-AGENCIES
