We are still in grave danger H-METRO EDITORIAL

Just over seven months ago, at the end of the first week of July, the COVID-19 situation looked like this; 18 people tested positive for Covid-19, it took the cumulative total infections in the country past the 700 cases mark to 716. There were no deaths that week.

However we considered that a very worrying figure. We agreed that chances are it will rise even faster unless we change the way we respond to this news.

What was more worrying is the fact that 11 of the weekend cases — which totalled 91 — were local infections who were not in official quarantine.

Medical authorities were still tracing the potential source of infection for seven of the 11 cases. The other four were contacts of a known infected person.

Although a large majority of Zimbabwe’s cases by then were infected outside the country and were diagnosed at a quarantine centre before they went home, the growing number of local infections, 22 as of that week, was of concern to authorities and was seen to be as a result of too many people not taking the lockdown provisions seriously.

A look at our neighbours South Africa, the worst-hit African country, with a death toll above 3 000 from 187 977 infections, clearly spelt the danger we were in.

The world death toll had surpassed the half a million mark at 531 659 with around a quarter of those in the United States.

All those statistics showed that the world and Zimbabwe was in danger.

Fast forward to now.

We are happy we have “only” 108 new cases over 24 hour period.

We are happy “only” four deaths were recorded.

These are not things to celebrate.

We have over 2300 active cases compared to less than 500 seven months ago.

We have to be serious. COVID-19 is still a big threat in

Zimbabwe.

To evade the danger upon us we MUST cover your mouths and nose with a mask to prevent coughing or sneezing it into nearby people or surfaces, avoid touching our faces because our hands are the easiest way to spread or catch the virus through.

We must wash our hands regularly to avoid spreading the virus.

You shall stay at home with your family but even with them, you are keeping a distance out of care that the virus may spread to the people you love the most.

These are precautions everyone — Covid-19 positive or negative — is expected to take to prevent the spread of the virus.

So whether you have been tested for Covid-19 or not, whether you have tested negative or positive — we all have to take great caution.