By Staff Reporter

Government yesterday tested 583 people for COVID-19 across 9 provinces, except Mashonaland East, as it scales up its containment measures. Ever since the commencement of testing in early March, Government had only tested 716 people.

The increased testing follows the announcement by Government that it was targeting to test a minimum of 33 000 people by 30 April 2020. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has since distributed 40 000 testing kits to the decentralised testing centres across the country as it steps up the fight against the deadly pandemic.

The timely intensification of the fight against COVID-19 has been necessitated by a spike in positive cases to 24, particularly in Bulawayo, which has become the epicentre of the pandemic.

To date, Bulawayo has 10 cases, Harare 9, Mashonaland East 4 and Matabeleland North 1. Bulawayo has recorded the first positive cases of 2 minors, a 4 year old and a 10 year old. In a bid to contain local transmission in Bulawayo, the Security Services have stepped up enforcement lockdown measures as residents continue to recklessly break the rules.

Analysts have noted that the disease does not discriminate as the profile of all the positive cases consists of a mix of children, middle and old ages, although the elderly are at far more risk of succumbing to the deadly disease.

Zimbabwe currently has 2 recoveries and 3 deaths.