Zimbabwe has record daily COVID-19 deaths as 102 die

Zimbabwe registered a record 102 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the most in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

With 2,296 new cases, the overall caseload reached 781 168 cases, and 2 520 related deaths, the Health Ministry said.

Zimbabwe was hit by a second wave between January and March, and the third wave is currently underway.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended a nationwide lockdown by another 14 days on Tuesday, further delaying the re-opening of schools due to be open on June 28. On June 29, he introduced the lockdown measures that included a nighttime curfew and curbs on inter-city travel.

In a televised address, he said Zimbabwe aimed to vaccinate one million people during the lockdown extension.

In a tweet on Friday, the president said a million Zimbabweans have now received their first COVID-19 jab. “Thank you to all the doctors, nurses and health officials who have made this possible. You are true Zimbabwean heroes,” he wrote.