Manicaland records 2 Covid-19 deaths

MANICALAND recorded two new Covid-19 deaths over the weekend, taking the death toll to 104 as the country had 198 new infections confirmed over two days.

This brings the cumulative total 4 649 total confirmed cases with 3 528 being people infected within Zimbabwe and 1 121 being infections reported from quarantine centres among returning residents.

Of the new cases 119 on Saturday and 57 yesterday were within the community with 66 of the weekend local total of 176 being in Harare, 10 in Bulawayo, 36 in Manicaland and 47 in Midlands, reports the Ministry of Health and Child Care in its latest daily reports.

It is possible that greater adherence by people of the Covid-19 advice, and greater enforcement of the lockdown regulations, may have helped reduce infection rates over the last week, or this could just be a statistical blip.

The two deaths reported yesterday, after a zero death report on Saturday, were a 59- year- old man and a 50- year- old woman, both in Manicaland.

Of the 104 deaths, 55 have been in Harare, 23 in Bulawayo, nine in Manicaland, five each in Midlands and Mashonaland West, three in Matabeleland North, two in Matabeleland South, one each in Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East, and zero in Masvingo.

South Africa now has reported 10 210 deaths from 553 188 cases, but has been seeing a slow-down in infection rates in the two hot spots of Gauteng and Western Cape.

Worldwide, the death toll has now reached 728 176 from 19 711 213 confirmed cases, although it is assumed significantly more people have been infected than have been tested as positive.