DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania
After months of
downplaying the disease, Tanzania has finally acknowledged the presence of
Covid-19 in the country, and introduced new measures to prevent its spread.
The minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima (C) seen here with senior officers drinking traditional medicines in the fight against Covid-19
The
announcement comes after weeks of concerns raised by activists, various church leaders, the US embassy, and others who have spoken up about a deadly resurgence
of Covid-19, blamed on an unlikely outbreak of
pneumonia.
The sudden deaths of several high-profile
politicians, believed to be as a result of Covid-19, fueled worries
that the country was in the grips of a second wave.
These
included the vice president of semi-autonomous Zanzibar, Seif Sharif Hamad,
chief secretary John Kijazi, and the former Bank of Tanzania Governor, Professor
Benno Ndulu.
On
Feb. 21, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon Tanzania to take “robust
action” to tackle the virus. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said
the situation remains “very concerning.”
Since
then, the Ministry of Health has released a statement urging Tanzanians to
take precautions, including hand washing and wearing face masks. The government
is also promoting herbal remedies, such as steam inhalation to combat the
coronavirus. These methods have not been approved by the WHO.
The minister for Health, Community Development, Gender,
Elderly and Children, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, initially touted the use of
traditional medicines in the fight against Covid-19 and other diseases.
She told a press briefing that the Tanzania government has no plans to import any of the Covid-19 vaccines being used in other countries. It will make use of all the traditional means, including herbs and steam inhalation.
“Many journalists have been asking about the Covid-19 vaccines and the ways to prevent the disease in Tanzania. Unfortunately, the ministry of health has no plan to receive any of the vaccines being used in other countries for now,” said Dr Gwajima.
A Covid-19 testing centre has
also been set up at Serengeti National Park and on 23 February, the Dar Rapid
Transit Agency (DART) released new guidelines for traveling on the
capital Dar es Salaam’s public transport—it is now mandatory to wear a mask and
practice social distancing.
While
president John Magufuli has still not directly referred to coronavirus, he did acknowledge an increase in
respiratory diseases.
Speaking
at Kijazi’s funeral, he said: “We managed to defeat these respiratory diseases
last year. We will do so again with God’s help.” After declaring three days of
prayer, the president added that people should wear masks but only ones that
are locally made.
He
reiterated that the country will not impose a lock-down.
Zitto
Kabwe, the leader of the opposition party, Alliance for Change and Transparency
(ACT) Wazalendo, called the new rules insufficient: “There is not enough testing
happening, and without that it is difficult to reduce the transmission. The
health system is already overwhelmed, and the government has not proposed any
measures to manage this.”
Tanzania
has not released any numbers on Covid-19 since April 29,
2020, and shortly thereafter declared the country free of the disease following a strict
lockdown.
Kabwe
believes that the government must collect and share this data to tackle the
virus effectively.
“We
need widespread testing and the release of data,” he said. “We also require a
big investment in protecting healthcare workers and public health announcements
to inform citizens on how to stay safe.”
While
the number of coronavirus cases in the country remains unknown, those on the
frontline say that hospitals are struggling to deal with the number of patients
they are seeing with respiratory problems.
Dr
Deus Kitapondya, a medical specialist based in Dar es Salaam, said that
although these rules are a step in the right direction, more must be done.
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