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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter

The country continues to record an increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases with 416 recorded yesterday to bring the total number of cases to 42 195.

The number of deaths has also increased to 1685 with 13 of those recorded in the last 24 hours.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care Situation Report (Sitrep), 415 new cases were local while one was a returnee from South Africa.

“As of 20 June 2021, at 1500hrs, there were 174 hospitalised cases: Asymptomatic 47, mild to moderate 86, severe 36 and 5 in Intensive Care Units,” said the Ministry.

The number of active cases went up by more than 100 percent to 3310 from 1599 on June 1. The positivity rate also went up to 13,3 percent with the national recovery rate going down to 88 percent.

More than half of the cases recorded yesterday were detected in areas that have been classified as hotspots. Kariba, Karoi, Chinhoyi and Kwekwe districts have been placed under localised lockdowns following a spike in cases. Government has also declared Mhondoro, Masvingo district, Chiredzi, Nkulumane, Emakhandeni, Northern Suburbs in Bulawayo and Bindura as hotspot areas.

Government is currently pushing the national vaccination programme targeting 10 million people to achieve herd immunity and protect citizens against the pandemic.

So far, 704 001 people have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine while 436 851 have been fully vaccinated.