Twenty new Covid-19 patients infected within Zimbabwe are among the record 62 confirmed cases registered yesterday.

The other 42 were among returning citizens and residents in official quarantine centres, where most of Zimbabwe’s cases are caught, justifying the official policy of using centres to quarantine all returning residents for at least eight days, although most people testing negative on two tests are allowed to finish their 21-day quarantine at home.

Infections within the centres can be quickly isolated and so do not spread into the community.

According to the latest daily update from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, of the 524 antigen-based (PCR) tests done yesterday, 24 returnees from South Africa tested positive while others were from the United States (5), Zambia (4), Lesotho (4), Botswana (3) and Namibia (2).

But the other 20 infected within Zimbabwe are the ones who require immediate follow-ups and which are of greater concern to health authorities. Already these authorities know that nine of the 20 are contacts of known patients, but investigations are now in progress to find the source of infection in the other 11.

Zimbabwe now has 463 cases with 171 of these in Harare, 58 in Bulawayo, 50 in Masvingo, 46 in Matebeleland South, 40 in the Midlands, 36 in Mashonaland East, 24 in Mashonaland West, 18 in Manicaland, 11 in Matebeleland North and nine in Mashonaland Central.

There are 396 active cases with the bulk being in Harare which has 143, followed by Bulawayo with 47, Matebeleland South 46, Midlands and Masvingo with 37 each, Mashonaland East 30, Mashonaland West 22, Manicaland 18 and Mashonaland Central, and Matebeleland North with eight each.

Among the 63 who have recovered so far, 26 are from Harare, 13 from Masvingo, 10 from Bulawayo, six from Mashonaland East, three each from the Midlands and Matebeleland North, and one each from Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West.

Four people have so far died, two from Harare and one each from Bulawayo and Mashonaland West.