Harare — Zimbabwe was on Monday hit by 60 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours, this at a time the country has lost a total of 773 people since the first case was confirmed almost a year ago.
A late night Covid-19 update by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health on Monday also said 689 new positive cases of Coronavirus were recorded on the same day the 60 people succumbed to the dreaded pandemic.
“60 COVID-19 deaths were reported today (Monday). 37 of the deaths occurred at institutional level with 23 at community level,” a statement from the country’s Ministry of Health reads.
The Ministry of Health here also added that ‘National Case fatality Rate now stands at 2.8% as at 18/1/21.’
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s Coronavirus mortality rate is relatively far lower than other countries that have so far experienced skyrocketing deaths due to the rampaging pandemic.
Yet the country’s democracy activists like Elvis Mugari of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance worry the deaths could be a sign of worse things to come.
“Our country’s dysfunctional health care facilities could mean much more Covid-19 deaths are in the offing,” Mugari told Ubuntu Times.
On Wednesday, COVID-19 killed the country’s foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo, the former army general who went on state television and announced a coup that toppled former President Robert Mugabe in 2017.
Zimbabwe is currently in a 30-day national lockdown period ordered by the government in order to throttle the further spread of Coronavirus.