BULAWAYO – Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo reported three new coronavirus cases on Easter Monday, bringing the official national total to 17, with three confirmed deaths.
Authorities said two of the latest cases are linked to Ian Hyslop, the 79-year-old pensioner who died on April 4 days after entertaining a visitor from the United Kingdom who had the virus.
The third case reported Easter Monday is that of a 34-year-old female whom authorities say has no history of foreign travel – nor any contact with confirmed cases.
The woman was “referred for screening by the local rapid response team after she was found to have fever on routinje screening,” the ministry of health said, adding that she was “stable” and self-isolating at home.
The three positive specimens were part of six tested at Mpilo Central Hospital, the second testing centre in the country which began operations on Sunday. Overall, officials said they tested 41 cases on Monday – 35 at the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory in Harare which has been handling all tests since the outbreak of the virus in central China last December.
A 52-year-old woman, who came into contact with Hyslop, tested positive for the virus which causes a disease called Covid-19 after she contacted responders, reporting three days of a headache.
The third positive test is that of a 79-year-old female who resides at Qalisa Retirement Village in Bulawayo, the same gated community where Hyslop lived.
“She consulted with the local rapid response team, presenting with a history of cough and difficulty in breathing,” the ministry of health said.
The woman denied being in contact with Hyslop. Health authorities collected specimens from her home resulting in the Easter Monday positive test.
Both Patient 16 and Patient 17 are “stable, with mild disease and self-isolating at home.”
