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Zimbabweans were afraid that the second wave of Covid-19 from December last year to January would escalate beyond control but statistics over the past three or so weeks indicate that the storm has passed.

The second wave arrived with a new coronavirus variant which is more transmissible and deadlier. The Government noted the threat on time thus immediately ordered the country to return to Level Four lockdown. Over the period, the deadliest since the first infection was reported on March 20 last year, new cases were in thousands daily, and fatalities in scores. Big name fatalities made us all much more despondent.

We are sorry for the illnesses and deaths, but happily note that, for the first time since the beginning of the year, no new deaths were reported on Saturday and Sunday. Also, the number of new cases on Saturday, at 14, were the lowest this year and half the previous lowest for the year, 28 on Sunday last week. New cases rose to 31 Sunday, but were still the third lowest of the year.

After a very small but still noticeable bump in infections in the third week of last month, last week saw the figures continuing on the decline seen after the peak of the second wave in mid-January.

The rolling seven day average for new infections, at 42, was less than a quarter of the 172 at the beginning of the year and just over four percent of the 956 at the peak of the second wave. The rolling average takes note of delays in submitting test results from centres and daily ups and downs that come from jumps in testing.

According to official figures released Sunday, active cases dropped to 1 960 on that day, less than a fifth of 10 326 seen on 26 January and now well below the 2 368 seen at the start of the year. As it takes up to two weeks to clear an active case, the number still includes some people infected when infection rates were much higher.

From as low as 50 percent at the peak of the second wave, the recovery rate has gone up to 90, 5 percent and expected to keep rising.

As at Sunday, the country had 36 089 confirmed cases of Covid-19, including 32 666 recoveries and 1 463 deaths.
The first lockdown this year was for 30 days and very stringent in tune with the magnitude of the challenge at that time. It was extended but relaxed thereafter as lockdown measures bore fruit. The first extension was for two weeks in February and another two weeks which expired yesterday.

President Mnangagwa yesterday extended the lockdown while further easing it to enable the economy to move and people to work for themselves and their families. Curfew is now 10pm to 5:30am, exemption letters are no longer required for one to travel, intercity travel can resume, supermarkets can open up to 7pm and industry can reopen on condition they uphold World Health Organisation standards to contain Covid-19.

At the same time the President reminded all that the time to relax has not arrived which is why schools, colleges, universities, bars, nightclubs and gyms remain closed.

We are delighted at the reduction in the Covid-19 challenge hence the progressive easing of the lockdown, but we must continue wearing face masks correctly at all times we are in public places, socially distancing, washing our hands regularly with soapy water and disinfecting our homes and workplaces.

The foregoing measures have helped us greatly over the past 12 months, but a more sustainable way to control the infection is vaccination, the national programme of which entered its second week yesterday. By Sunday 15 705 frontline workers had been vaccinated since the start of the programme.

Zimbabwe received a Chinese donation of 200 000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines a few weeks ago and they will be administered on 100 000 people. China has committed to donating 200 000 more doses while India has pledged a donation of 75 000 jabs.

The donations would be boosted by 600 000 jabs that the Government has bought from China and which are expected in the country this week.

As Covid-19 cases keep on a downward trend thanks to measures such as masking up, social distancing and hand hygiene, our people are urged to continue doing the needful while getting vaccinated against the disease when their turn comes.