FOLLOWING a spike in new Covid-19 deaths and cases that were recorded in January, there seems to be a ray of hope for Zimbabwe as the number fatalities and new cases have been declining since the last week of January to date.
By Michael Gwarisa
According to Health and Child Care Minister, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the decline can be attributed to the strict lockdown regulation that government put in place on January 5, 2020 which saw the country returning to level four.
The level 4 National Lockdown that came into force on the 5th of January 2021 has stabilized our situation. In relative terms and since the lockdown, the number of infections have been decreasing substantially.
“Equally, our recovery rate has gone up from an all-time low of fifty-four percent to the current one which is seventy-five percent. Even though the numbers we are losing to the pandemic are falling, we bemoan the fact that Zimbabweans are dying at all. Any death is one death too many. Still, we need to stay the course by upping our vigilance. The war is not yet won,” said VP Chiwenga.
Meanwhile, a total 160 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, February, 1 2021 while 17 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours. (7 day rolling average* for new cases falls to 272 from 295 yesterday).
“All 160 are local cases; Harare had the highest today 72. As of 31 January 2021, @1500hrs there were 177 hospitalized cases: 99 mild to moderate, 69 severe and 9 in Intensive Care Units NB Mater Dei did not report. 2433 tests done today (Positivity today was 6.6%). 539 new recoveries reported: National Recovery rate stands at 79.2% and Active cases go down to 5731 today. As of 1 February 2021, Zimbabwe has now recorded33548 Cases26583recoveries and 1234Deaths,” said the ministry of health daily sitrep on February 1, 2021.