BY HARRIET CHIKANDIWA/BLESSED MHLANGA
THE government has extended the Level Four national lockdown by two more weeks until February 15 as it escalates the fight to flatten the curve of rising numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
“It is in light of this that his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces ED Mnangagwa, has decided to extend the Level Four national lockdown by another two more weeks to the 15th of February,” acting President Constantino Chiwenga told a Press conference in Harare yesterday.
“Fellow Zimbabweans, we continue to see a high number of COVID-19 cases and, sadly, deaths. In the last week our new cases have been averaging about 300 per day, with deaths averaging 20 per day.”
Zimbabwe has been on Level Four national lockdown since January 5 this year after a sharp increase in the number of infections of the second wave of COVID-19.
“Cumulative cases as at 1st January, 2021 were 14 084 and deaths were 369. As at 28th January, 2021, cumulative cases reached 32 646 with deaths breaching the 1000 mark to give us One Thousand One Hundred and Sixty (1 160). The situation is clearly worrisome.
“We have a likelihood of new strains and variants circulating. These strains are more transmissible and infectious. We are doing genomic sequencing to see if these strains are in our environment. Results will be published as soon as we have them.”
The country saw the burial of five national heroes within a week, including the historical triple burial of Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister, Retired Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo, Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Joel Biggie Matiza and former Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services Commissioner-General, Retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi on Wednesday, who all succumbed to the respiratory virus.
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The pandemic has seen a growing number of COVID-19 infections and deaths since January, bringing cumulative cases to 32 646 and 1 160 deaths.
“Government will soon be bringing in vaccines against COVID-19. A roll out plan and deployment strategy is being finalised. The nation will be kept informed on all these developments,” Chiwenga said.
Government recently approved mass importation of the veterinary anti-parasitic drug, Ivermectin as part of a cocktail of drugs to fight the virus.
Robert Mudyiradima, the acting Health secretary wrote to the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe acting director-general Robert Rukwata directing that the drug be approved as it was part of “effective treatment regimes.”
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