Main description:

This contributed volume, based on papers presented at a conference held in Zimbabwe in mid-2021, examines the nexus between Zimbabwe's health systems and the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection of papers contained here is diverse and covers topics from how health systems handled (or didn't handle) surges to health communication during a global pandemic to economic and environmental impacts of the pandemic in Zimbabwe. Editors Drs. Edward Kunonga, Lazarus Chapungu, and David Chikodzi set the stage for these pieces with an introductory chapter that describes the health systems in Zimbabwe and offers an overview of the effects of the pandemic felt in the country. Their concluding chapter synthesizes trends and issues emerging from the chapters and recommends policy directions regarding health management systems in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the face of this and future pandemics.

Contents:

Introduction1. Introduction: The COVID-19-Health Nexus: Trends and Dynamics

Health system dynamics in a COVID-19 environment 2. COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe: A spatial and temporal perspective

3. Public Safety and Health Systems in the Context of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe: Gaps and Prospects

4. Devolution as Health Governance Paradigm Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe: Convergences and Divergences

5. Global Covid-19 Pandemic: A strategic opportunity of operationalizing One Health Concept Case of Zimbabwe

6. An analysis of the dynamics of COVID-19 pandemic using the SIER Model with uncertain parameters characterized by a Stochastic Susceptible Population

7. Indigenous health practices and lifestyles: Can they help Zimbabwe transform its health systems in the face of Covid-19 pandemic?

8. Virtual communities in supporting access to health services during COVID-19 pandemic: The Implications and Impacts on Zimbabwe's health system

COVID-19 restrictive measures and related impacts 9. Decongesting global cities as part of Health Reform in the era of COVID-19: Impacts and implications for Zimbabwe

10. Deciphering Synergies and tradeoffs between COVID-19 measures and the progress towards SDG 15: Implications on health systems in Zimbabwe

11. The Impact of COVID-19 on Economic Development in Zimbabwe and the health management system.

Vaccine uptake and diplomacy 12. COVID-19 vaccination apathy, hesitancy and neutrality. Interrogating the trends and impacts on Zimbabwe's health delivery system

13. The complexities of public health communication on COVID-19 vaccination in social media. Implications on Zimbabwe's health system.

14. COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy: Tracking the Chinese, Indian and Russian global pathways and undertones

Conclusion 15. Conclusions: Emerging trends, issues and policy implications