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Herald Reporter

The number of new daily Covid-19 infections in Zimbabwe fell for the third day running yesterday, along with the rolling seven-day average giving more hope that while infection rates are still very high, Zimbabwe has passed the peak of the present wave.

Deaths also fell for the second day running, but the rolling average continued to edge up. Deaths rates tend to follow infection rates of around a week to fortnight earlier as it can take that long for someone to become seriously ill.

The number of active cases, that is the number still listed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care as ill, continued to rise to 50 707, but of these only 358 were in hospital with four in intensive care and 36 classed as serious.

The rest had no symptoms or only mild to moderate symptoms. Those active cases are 26,75 percent of all Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic early last year.

The number of new daily infections yesterday fell to 3 263, almost half the peak seen exactly a week earlier on Friday last week when they hit 6 181 before falling over the weekend, when there are fewer routine tests, and rising to 5 678 on Tuesday before starting a sustained fall for the rest of the week.

However the 3 263 of yesterday was higher than any days in the first, second or third waves, showing how serious is the present spike.

The fall in infections now being seen is probably due to far greater compliance with the medical advice and health protocols with far more people in public now willing to be masked and to be more careful about social distancing and sanitising.

Vaccinations continue to edge up with almost 34 000 doses given yesterday, well below the 44 354 of the day before but still the second highest in the last seven days.