The Ministry would like to report that the five outstanding results from yesterday were negative for COV1D-19.

Today, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory tested 10 samples, and all were negative for COVID-19.

Additionally, the Ministry would like to advise that the National TB Reference Laboratory in Bulawayo tested 6 samples today. All were negative for COV1D-19. Therefore, to date, Zimbabwe has fourteen confirmed cases including three deaths.

Cumulative Tests Conducted: 563
COV1D-19 Negative: 549
COVID-19 Positive: 14
Deaths: 3
Matebeleland North: 1
Mashonaland East: 4
Bulawayo: 2
Harare: 7
Total: 14
Case #14 diagnosed yesterday is a 53-year-old male resident of Bulawayo.

The local Rapid Response Team visited him at home as part of intensified surveillance and contact tracing for the late, case #11. Even though he was not a direct contact of case #11, he was in contact with the visitor from the United Kingdom who in turn was in contact with case #11 on the 23rd of March 2020.

Samples were collected for testing and he was confirmed positive for COVID-19 yesterday. He is stable, with mild disease ad is self-isolating at home.

However, considering that the visitor from UK had tested negative for COVID-19 using PCR, the Ministry went on further to do a Rapid COVID-19 1gM Antibody Test on this visitor from UK.

The Rapid Antibody Test was positive confirming that at some point prior to this test, he was infected with COVID-19.

Antibodies are produced over days to weeks after infection with the virus.

Without any other confirmed case to explain the source of infection for case #11and casen#14, the Ministry, therefore, concluded that this visitor from the UK is the most probable epidemiological link to both case #11 and case #14.

The Ministry would like to remind the nation that, the most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to practise good personal hygiene and exercise social distancing