BY NHAU MANGIRAZI Twenty-eight staff members, including nurses at Hurungwe District Hospital in Karoi have tested positive to COVID-19. Karoi district medical officer Frankson Masiye confirmed the development to NewsDay yesterday, adding that there had been a sharp rise in infections in the district. According to the latest data on COVID-19 which was released last week, at least 22 more officials tested positive following “massive testing” at all hospital departments, including administration, health and laundry among others in the district. Early this month, six nurses including support staff tested positive for the respiratory disease, after attending to two positive patients on January 1, 2021. One of the patients has since died. The data also showed that Magunje Hospital under Chief Dendera, which is about 35km west of Karoi town, has six nurses and officials who tested positive to COVID-19. Karuru Clinic under Chief Chundu about 45km north of Karoi has one nurse who tested positive to the coronavirus. All the staff members who tested positive are in self-isolation. While the country has recorded 974 COVID-19 deaths, the district has recorded six deaths due to the virus from July last year. Two of the documented deaths were from Karoi urban, while Magunje, Bashungwe, Solar Farm and Harare, recorded one death each. Recently, Masiye revealed that the hospital has been “overrun” by COVID-19 infections after six nurses tested positive since January 1, 2021. Masiye appealed to the Karoi community to take heed of the lockdown restrictions to stay indoors and mask up. Zimbabwe has recorded a spike in deaths and infections as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic takes its toll amid an ailing health sector.  Follow Nhau on Twitter @NhauMangirazi2