Zimbabwe on Friday revised downwards its number of coronavirus cases to 28, saying a positive case had been counted twice.

The Health and Child Care ministry had earlier reported that the country’s coronavirus or Covid-19 cases had risen to 29 from the previous day’s total after a patient tested positive in the second city of Bulawayo.

“The ministry would like to report that of the 101 PCR tests done in Bulawayo, which had pending results on April 22, one was not for a new case but from a retest of a case that had been reported previously,” reads the statement.

“This reduces the cases of Bulawayo from 11 to 10 and nationally from 29 to 28 since the Covid 19 outbreak.”

It has also been noted that the government’s figures for tests are also not accurate.

On Monday, the government said it had conducted 3 308 tests, the following day it said 841 tests were conducted.

Cumulatively, that means 4 149 tests were conducted, but government records said 4 159 tests were done.

When asked about this, a government official said it was probably a typographical error, which was going to be corrected.

However, that error remains uncorrected.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has remained silent on the highly sensitive matter which in other countries may have cost the officials responsible their jobs.