Browsing by Author "Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa"

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    Coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) response in Zimbabwe: A call for urgent scale-up of testing to meet national capacity
    (Oxford University Press, 2021) Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa; Mukwenha, Solomon; Eghtessad, Rouzeh
    Control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) heavily relies on universal access to testing in order to identify who is infected; track them to make sure they do not spread the disease further; and trace those with whom they have been in contact. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Zimbabwe is an urgent national public health concern and requires coordinated efforts to scale up testing using the capacity already in existence in the country. There is a need for substantial decentralization of testing, investment in better working conditions for frontline health workers, and the implementation of measures to curb corruption within government structures.
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    Covid-19 prevalence among healthcare workers. A systematic review and meta-analysis
    (MPDI, 2022) Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa; Murewanhema, Grant; Mhango, Malizgani
    Understanding the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers is a critical component to inform occupational health policy and strategy. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to map and analayse the available global evidence on the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infections among healthcare workers. The random-effects adjusted pooled prevalence of COVID-19 among those studies that conducted the test using the antibody (Ab) method was 7% [95% CI: 3 to 17%]. The random-effects adjusted pooled prevalence of COVID-19 among those studies that conducted the test using the PCR method was 11% [95% CI: 7 to 16%]. We found the burden of COVID-19 among healthcare workers to be quite significant and therefore a cause for global health concern. Furthermore, COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers affect service delivery through workers’ sick leave, the isolation of confirmed cases and quarantine of contacts, all of which place significant strain on an already shrunken health workforce
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    COVID‑19 Lockdowns: Impact on facility‑based HIV testing and the case for the scaling up of home‑based testing services in Sub‑Saharan Africa
    (Springer Nature, 2020) Mhango, Malizgani; Chitungo, Itai; Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa
    In December 2019, China reported the emergence of a pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan [1]. By 7 January 2020, the etiology of the pneumonia was attributed to a virus of the coronavirus family, and later on the disease was named coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on 11 February 2020 by the WHO [2, 3]. The symptoms of COVID-19 appear after an average incubation period of 5.2 days [1].
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    Risk factors for COVID-19 among healthcare workers. A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
    (Public Library of Science, 2021) Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa; Mhango, Malizgani; Dzobo, Mathias
    Evidence on the spectrum of risk factors for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among front-line healthcare workers (HCWs) has not been well-described. While several studies evaluating the risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among patient-facing and non-patient-facing front-line HCWs have been reported since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), and several more are still underway. There is, therefore, an immediate need for an ongoing, rigorous systematic review that continuously assesses the risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among front-line HCWs.Here, we outline a protocol to serve as a guideline for conducting a living systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the burden of COVID-19 on front-line HCWs and identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in patient-facing and non-patient-facing front-line HCWs.
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    Risk factors for Covid-19 infection among healthcare workers. A first report from a living systematic review and meta-analysis
    (Elsevier, 2022) Dzinamarira, Tafadzwa; Nkambule, Sphamandla Josias; Mhango, Malizgani
    Health care workers (HCWs) are more than ten times more likely to be infected with coronavirus in- fectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) than the general population, thus demonstrating the burden of COVID- 19 among HCWs. Factors that expose HCWs to a differentially high-risk of COVID-19 acquisition are important to elucidate, enable appropriate public health interventions to mitigate against high risk and reduce adverse outcomes from the infection. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize and critically analyze the existing evidence on SARS-CoV-2 risk factors among HCWs. With no geographical limitation, we included studies, in any country, that reported (i) the PCR laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 as an independent variable (ii) one or more COVID-19 risk factors among HCWs with risk estimates (relative risk, odds ratio, or hazard ratio) (iii) original, quantitative study design, and published in English or Mandarian.