All dead bodies to be tested for covid-19

Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
AS part of the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s surveillance strategy to detect the Covid-19 virus and trace contacts, all deceased people will now be tested for Covid-19.

This comes as the country’s Covid-19 cases breached the 1000 mark on Tuesday after 49 people tested positive to take the total number to 1034.

Of the number 28 were returnees from South Africa and 21 local cases who are isolated.

There has also been a surge in the number of people who are testing positive posthumously.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health and Child Care Midland recorded one death posthumously to take the total number of deaths in the country to 19.

“Today we regret to report one death at community level. The death occurred in Midlands Province and was detected during routine post mortem as part of our covid-19 surveillance. We await the full post mortem report of the direct cause of death,” read the report.

Preliminary investigations done by the Sunday News shows that since the beginning of July 2020, at least 12 deaths have been confirmed to be Covid-19 positive posthumously.

The Ministry on Tuesday carried 1070 RDT and 412 PCR diagnostics tests. The cumulative number of tests done so far is 91 103 (53 755 RDT and 37 328 PCR).

Bulawayo province recorded five new cases bringing the number to 188.

Matabeleland South has also recorded 15 recoveries from the virus.