Covid-19 deaths now 28

Herald Reporter

With 90 patients testing positive for Covid-19 yesterday, 83 of them local infections, the Zimbabwean total reached 2 124 and two new deaths drove the death toll to 28.

The daily number of new infections shows a drop from the three-figure totals of the last few days.

In its daily report, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said just nine of the local infections had known contacts and medical staff were investigating the other 74 to try and find the source of infection.

All seven quarantined returning residents who tested positive had been infected in South Africa.

The first death reported was a Harare resident who tested positive on Monday, but also had other illnesses. The Bulawayo death was patient admitted to hospital yesterday with Covid-19 symptoms. The number of Zimbabweans confirmed to have recovered remains at 510.

Harare is rapidly catching up with Bulawayo in confirmed local infections with 60 of yesterday’s batch coming from the capital.

The latest figures show Bulawayo with 551 confirmed local infections and 13 deaths, and Harare with 357 confirmed local infections and nine deaths. Midlands is third with 68 cases and two deaths.

South Africa remains the regional epicentre with 5 940 deaths from 394 948 confirmed cases, although 229 175 of these, well over half as the rate of infection slows, have now recovered.