Upwards blip in Covid deaths
THE Covid-19 daily death toll on Wednesday shot to 16, with 11 of them in Harare, the same total as was last seen on September 5, but yesterday sunk to eight, suggesting a blip rather than a surge.
The 340 new cases reported on Wednesday saw an increase in the seven day rolling average for new infections to 245 from 235 the previous day. But the number of new cases yesterday fell to 330 although the average rose to 252.
The seven-day rolling average for daily deaths rose to six on both days, after having been stuck on four for the previous five days.
The last time the daily death toll went into double figures was on September 10 when 11 deaths were recorded.
The growing number of new Covid19 cases over the last week has been attributed to infections recorded in a couple of dozen schools.
“The high number of cases constituting 48 percent of cases reported today (Wednesday) in Mashonaland East (15), Midlands (50), Manicaland (13) and Masvingo (50), Matabeleland North (4), Bulawayo (11) , Mashonaland Central (21) are from outbreaks detected in schools,” said the Ministry of Health and Child Care in its daily report.
Similar statements are seen most days. This week, the Government said it had instituted several measures to contain the rise in infection in some schools.
These included enhancement of surveillance and contact-tracing at schools and in the surrounding communities, increasing on-site Covid-19 testing of all suspected cases, contacts and surrounding communities, isolation and management of all Covid-19-positive cases, quarantining of those exposed and restriction of movement into and out of the affected schools until the outbreaks have been controlled.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the Government had also enhanced public health and social protocols, including social distancing, hand washing, sanitisation and wearing of face masks in schools and authorised teachers to detect and report suspected cases among other measures.