Covid-19 positive cases are creeping up again, with health experts attributing the increase to the population’s urge to mix and socialise or indulge in unchecked behaviour that may usher in the third coronavirus wave.
Last week, from March 10 to March 19, 331 new local cases were recorded, which health experts said were an indication that people were relaxing
Prominent Covid-19 advocate, Acting Mpilo Chief Executive Officer, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, lamented how Covid-19 figures have started rising up again due to people’s unchecked behaviour.
“People are relaxed and with the way they are behaving especially in ZUPCO queues, there will be new variants. These variants are due to our own behaviours,” he said at a recent media workshop meant to educate journalists about Covid-19.
Prof Ngwenya explained that Covid-19 comes in waves and could be seen by the actions of the population, government regulations and clinical data from the hospitals.
“A wave will come when there are many cases and then people will die. The wave goes off because it has to gain its strength as it can’t maintain itself forever. This was the time when Zimbabwe was actually recording zero deaths, low cases and numbers were tethering off,” he said.
Prof Ngwenya said a third wave was possible due to the positivity of tests.
“Whenever I alert people about positivity, the politicians get jumpy. When the government opens its mouth to relax the lockdown and people start dancing in the shebeens, you can see the third wave coming. People are actually the ones who drive the waves, as the critical part is human behaviour,” he said.
When a wave occurs, people start becoming more sick and looking for oxygen, which Prof Ngwenya said at times was imported and cost US$50 for a big tank.
“Coronaviruses have always been in existence, before mammals and birds. Waves are part of the virus for it to survive by changing its structure so when a population sleeps or is relaxed, the wave is even heavier and if a politician tells you we have defeated Covid, it is a lie,” he noted.
Prof Ngwenya said people must draw lessons from the Spanish Flu that occurred in 1918 to 1920, which infected more than 500 million and killed more than 50 million if a lackadaisical attitude were taken.
“This possibly could have been more as many Africans were not properly accounted for. Covid-19 has potential to surpass the Spanish Flu hence we are trying to prevent Covid from spiralling out and educating the community about its behaviours,” he said.
“One day on March 18, 2021 alone, half a million people globally were infected with Covid-19, if we continue making the same mistakes we will pay the price. People will call me an alarmist but no, I am actually standing in for your health.”
The doctor also advised people to be aware of the impact caused by a virus.
“We should learn that viruses have to be respected. That is rule number one, viruses can kill a lot of people. It’s survival of the fittest, right now I think people who can survive are actually those who have a high level of alertness. At the weekend, I wear my overall and stay at home unlike you who would rather be at the beer halls or congregate with pastors,” Prof Ngwenya said.
