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Herald Reporter
Zimbabwe’s total of confirmed Covid-19 cases jumped to 1 362 yesterday, after a large batch of samples taken over the past week were processed in Bulawayo, with Bulawayo also reporting three more deaths, two discovered during routine testing in post-mortems and one in a facility.

This brings the death toll to 23.

The 273 new cases reported yesterday, 231 from the delayed testing of samples in Bulawayo, included 11 returning residents in quarantine and 260 infections within Zimbabwe, which include those 231 from Bulawayo.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care said the batch of delayed Bulawayo samples would be distributed to the days the samples were taken so the infection curve on the graphs remained accurate.

Of the new cases 22 are people infected in Harare.

Of the cumulative total of 1 362, local infections now account for 606 with those of returning residents in quarantine being 756.

Bulawayo is now the leading centre of local infection, with 384 patients, well over half of the 606, with the far larger Harare province, which encompasses most of the Greater Harare area, accounting for most of the rest, with136.

Mashonaland East has a total of 40, Matabeleland South has 19, Midlands nine, Manicaland and Matabeleland North five each, Mashonaland West four, and Masvingo and Mashonaland Central two each.

Recoveries of both local and returnee infections now total 425 after another 30 people were deemed clear of infection yesterday.

South Africa now has recorded 4 669 deaths from 324 221 confirmed cases, the sixth worst global total although its death rate is far lower than other countries with similar numbers.