by Innocent Mujeri

Government has intensified testing for COVID-19 with 6 395 screening and diagnostic tests having been done to date.

The Government has a target of testing 40 000 people per month.

Zimbabwe reported its first case on March 20 and so far 31 people have tested positive to the virus.

Presenting its daily update on COVID-19 yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said a total of 328 tests were done yesterday alone and all of them were negative.

“The Ministry would like to report that today (yesterday), a total of 328 tests were done, giving a total of 6 395 screening and diagnostic tests done to date. All the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)  tests done in Harare and Bulawayo today (yesterday) were negative” said the Ministry in a statement.

The daily update from the Ministry also showed that the number of patients who recovered from the dreaded disease have increased to five, with four people having succumbed to the disease.

In a bid to curb, the spread of COVID-19, Government has intensified testing and nearly 5 000 rapid results tests kits were distributed to all the country’s ten provinces.

Furthermore, in addition to  18 800 extraction kits and some laboratory consumables received from Jack Ma, 6 000 additional rapid results test kits have been procured through UNDP/Global Fund and Innscor, with each availing 3 000 kits.

With the confirmed cases still at 31, Government is doing all it can to stop the spread of the deadly virus. The country is currently on  lockdown that will ordinarily expire on 3 May.