admin
Herald Reporter
The fourth wave of Covid-19 continues to recede with the average daily infection rate now down to 176, just 3,8 percent of the peak average of 4 850 in mid-December.
Saturday saw the first day since the beginning of December with no deaths reported.
The continued ebbing of the fourth wave is now in the slow stages that we tend to see at the end of a wave, with modest improvements each day.
In another sign, the number of active cases fell to 5 910 on Saturday, and well down from the 51 136 seen as a peak on December 18, in fact, just 11 percent of that total.
That rate of 176 is still around four to five times what has been seen between waves.
The number of active cases is the number of people who have fallen ill in the last three weeks and have yet to fully recover, or who have not yet been deemed to have recovered if they are not showing symptoms.
The rolling average of the death rate has fallen to 5,9 a day, the lowest since the middle of December, but still on a modest plateau corresponding to the plateau in infection rates around three weeks ago.
But on Saturday, the number of deaths did hit zero, although this could be the result of a general tendency for some deaths not to be reported over weekends and then the numbers entering the statistics on a Monday or Tuesday.
The good news contrasts with the vaccination rates, which tend to rise during infection waves and then fall. Last week just 67 103 doses were given, and even 13 102 of these were the third booster shot.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care calculates that 34,11 percent of the 9 658 550 Zimbabweans aged 16 and over have had both shots, with 44,17 of that group have at least entered the programme with their first shot.
The Ministry basically wants all in this age range to be full vaccinated so it can just exceed its 60 percent of the total population vaccinated. But to reach 60 percent almost all over 16s need to be jabbed.
The falling infection rates allowed Acting President Constantino Chiwenga on Friday last week to trigger the opening of the school term on Monday next week, adjust the curfew and to allow bars, restaurants and nightclubs to serve customers to 10pm, so long as everyone inside was fully vaccinated.
The entire population needs to continue wearing masks in public, maintaining social distancing and keeping their hands clean and sanitised.
Online Reporter