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Zimbabwe’s Econet to mobilise 100 000 COVID-19 test kits

By , Sub Saharan Africa Business, Tech, News and Development Journalist
Zimbabwe , 13 May 2020
Econet Wireless plans to roll out 100 000 COVID-19 testing kits.
Econet Wireless plans to roll out 100 000 COVID-19 testing kits.

Zimbabwe telecommunications group, Econet Wireless, has availed 100 000 Coronavirus (COVID-19) testing kits to be used for commercial purposes and to be rolled out for free to vulnerable groups.

This is expected to strengthen the Southern African country’s capacity to test for the pandemic, which, to date, has resulted in 37 infections, 12 recoveries and four deaths.

According to the country’s Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe has conducted 12 869 rapid screening tests and 11 058 diagnostic tests.

Econet Wireless group, through its associated companies, Cassava Smartech - which houses EcoCash and its other digital healthcare and macro-insurance businesses - as well as Higher Life Foundation (the philanthropic arm of Econet founder, Strive Masiyiwa) is looking to bolster the country’s testing capacity.

Eddie Chibi, CEO of Cassava Smartech, said: “We have imported 100 000 COVID-19 test kits to be used for testing our own staff, individuals and corporates across Zimbabwe. The corporates will pay a fee for the testing of their staff, which can be done on-site or off-site.”

Employees of Econet, Liquid Telecom, Cassava and Mutare Bottling (in which Econet has soft drinks manufacturing interests) can access the kits for free.

While corporates will pay US$25 per employee for testing, the Higher Life Foundation will deploy free testing kits to vulnerable groups, including the elderly.

Higher Life Foundation chief executive, Kennedy Mubaiwa said: “We will be targeting vulnerable groups both in urban high-density and rural locations, as well as to beneficiaries already supported by our Foundation, which includes those in retirement and children’s homes, as well as pregnant women’s shelters.”

Other high-risk groups such as the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions, would also be targeted for free disbursement of the testing kits, with mobile testing centres being established.

Over the past ten days Zimbabwe has eased the lock-down restrictions, allowing formal commerce and industry companies to open operations on the pre-condition that companies test all their employees for COVID-19 before re-opening.

Cassava Smartech will capacitate its Maisha Healthtech unit to “achieve fairly rapid testing across the country” through the participation of its Maisha Medik network of 600 health service providers.

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