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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
MIDLANDS and Masvingo provinces have for the first time recorded Covid-19 positive cases with the number of cases in the country rising to 51.

Matabeleland South, Manicaland and Mashonaland Central are the only provinces in the country that are yet to record positive cases.

Midlands Province now has three Covid-19 cases including that of a nine-months pregnant woman. Masvingo province recorded one positive case.

Harare Province has the highest number of recorded cases at 23, followed by Bulawayo province with 12 cases. Mashonaland East has six cases, Mashonaland West, five and Matabeleland North one.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said two more positive cases were recorded in the Midlands Province and one from Harare on Thursday.

“As of May 21, 2020, Zimbabwe had 51 confirmed cases, including 18 recoveries and four deaths. Three cases tested positive for Covid-19 today (Thursday).

“Two cases are returnees from Botswana who both tested positive on the eighth day of quarantine and one is a Harare resident with no history of travel,” said the ministry in a statement.

The Ministry urged members of the public to stay at home and avoid crowded places.

Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima urged people to abide by lockdown rules and regulations to mitigate against the spread of Covid -19.

“We now have three cases and it should be a wake up call for us to be vigilant, exercise hygiene, use face masks to mitigate against the spread of the virus,” he said.

Minister Mavima who is also the chairperson of the Midlands Covid-19 taskforce said a pregnant woman is one of the three people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the province.

He said the pregnant woman is in a stable condition.

“The first confirmed case we had was that of a pregnant woman quarantined at Gweru Polytechnic College.

“She is expecting to deliver her baby and has also been isolated from others for monitoring but let me hasten to say that her condition is very stable.

“There is no need for people to panic. We also have two more cases bringing to three,” said Minister Mavima.

Meanwhile, the woman who died while in quarantine at Mkoba Teachers College on Monday has been identified as Nomathemba Ndlovu (31). The woman tested negative for Covid-19.

The country is on Level 2 lockdown for an indefinite period and authorities have been credited for putting in place effective measures to contain the deadly pandemic which has infected over five million people, killing 328 000 worldwide this year alone.