These battles have many and varying frontlines.
For example, on this very day at the World Trade Organisation’s General Council meeting the battles are among mostly besuited men, rallying to protect some of the richest and most powerful pharmaceutical companies in the world from a proposal from South Africa and India that WTO rules protecting intellectual property rights over Covid-19 vaccines be waived for the duration of the pandemic.
This is necessary to allow poor countries a better chance of access to affordable vaccines and to overcome global vaccine apartheid. As Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has pointed out, such a measure would help tip the balance in a world where although up to 175 million people have now been vaccinated against Covid-19, almost none of them are in Africa.
Yesterday, 22 December was National Unity Day in Zimbabwe. Officially the day commemorates the merger of two political parties, Zanu-PF and PF-Zapu on December 22nd 1987 at the end of the ‘conflict’ in Matabeleland. However, many Zimbabweans mark its significance rather differently. Accor.
By Thandekile Moyo
THE first wave did not hit the country as badly as we feared. But now the second is upon us and, with our health system in shambles and our health workers still incapacitated, many fear we may not be as lucky.
The first known casualty of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe was Zororo Makamba, a pro-regime journalist and son of James Makamba, a well-known businessman.
Zororo’s brother, Tawanda, said that not only were his test results delayed, but Wilkins Hospital, the only isolation facility available at the time, delayed admitting him, saying it was not ready. It eventually did, but Zororo apparently told his family the nurses were afraid to go near him because they did not have adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). He reportedly said he was alone and scared.