Zimbabwe registers over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases as more people rush to be immunized

ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe has registered 3,110 new COVID-19 cases today, its highest daily figure since the onset of the pandemic last year.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the record number of new cases has accelerated the country’s cumulative COVID-19 cases to 76,381, as the nation battles a third wave of the pandemic.

The ministry said 58 new deaths were recorded, raising the nation’s death toll to 2,332.

The number of people who have recovered stands at 49,053 after 951 people were reported to have recovered from the virus.

The rise in cases has prompted many people to seek vaccination. So far, a total of 988,746 people have received their first jab and 624,894 their second jab.

Namibia

Namibia has also registered the highest daily number of Covid-19 deaths with 150 fatalities. In a statement, Health Minister, Kalumbi Shangula, said the deaths were recorded in 21 districts.

“It is not clear as to why this is the case. It remains a matter of grave concern. We once again call on the public to seek medical assistance in case of any illness,” he said.

Namibia had recorded a cumulative number of 2,240 COVID-19 deaths.

The African continent has so far registered 154,550 Covid-19 deaths out of 6,067,118 confirmed coronavirus cases. 5,280,285 people have recovered while over 38,373,308 vaccinations have been administered across the continent.

Rwanda

Elsewhere, Rwanda has announced that movements in the capital city of Kigali and eight towns will be prohibited from July 17 to July 26, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Under the new measures, outdoor sports and recreational activities will be prohibited. Public and private offices and businesses are required to close unless they provide essential services. Schools and higher education institutions are also to be closed.

The country reported 934 new cases, bringing the national tally to 50,742, with 35,582 recoveries and 607 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Rwandan government has been stepping up measures against COVID-19 in the past month as the central African nation sees a spike in daily new cases recently.

Nigeria

In its quest to provide variety of safe vaccines for the Nigerian population, the management of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has approved Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines while it conditionally approved Sputnik V vaccine.

This comes as the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib disclosed on Tuesday at a press conference that Nigeria has exhausted the first batch of the AstraZeneca vaccines shipped to the country by the COVAX facility.

Nigeria has successfully vaccinated 3,938,945 eligible persons across 36 States and FCT, representing 98% utilization of the 4,024,000 doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine it received from COVAX facility in March 2021.