• There was a marginal increase in the national vaccination coverage for the first dose to 60.8 from the 60.7 which was recorded previously.
• Since 12 February 2023, sixty suspected cases of cholera have been reported in Zimbabwe without any recorded deaths.

Zimbabwe like all other countries would be wise to consider the economic costs of health disasters. It is fair to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdowns shifted the perception of viewing the management of diseases and illnesses as purely social, but also economic.

In the most recent Cabinet Briefing, it was reported that sixty suspected cases of cholera have been reported in Zimbabwe.Of these cases, there has been no reported death from cholera and no patient has been admitted for the disease, but considering the high risk of diarrheal diseases during the rainy season, the Government has placed all districts on high alert and is accelerating the surveillance and response mechanisms in all provinces.

The Government has also reported its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the national vaccination program, Cabinet informed the nation that a total of 6 836 344 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have so far been administered, while 5 071 179 people have received their second dose, and 1 604 677 their third dose.

The nation is being informed that 3 deaths were recorded during the week under review, compared to the 6 recorded the previous week. Similarly, the number of new cases recorded also decreased compared to the number reported last week. However, during the week under review, there were 21 new admissions, compared to the 19 recorded the previous week with 5 being in the intensive care unit.

Moreover, in line with the Cabinet’s commitment to keeping the nation informed on the implementation of the 100-day Cycle projects in 2022, it highlighted the implementation of the following projects across various industries.

In the mining sector, there was the construction of the Dinson Colliery Coke Oven Battery in Matabeleland North, the Lithium Processing Plant at Sabi Star in Manicaland; Mimosa Mining Company Optimisation of the Concentrator Plant in the Midlands; the Rio Zim Murowa 500TPH Greenfields Diamond Plant and Establishment of a Ferrochrome Smelter at Amazon in Midlands; and Tshingshan Iron Ore and Chrome/Coke Value Addition Project in Mashonaland East.

In the Transport sector -a cumulative 24 100 kilometers of road were rehabilitated under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP 2); • In Agriculture-in a bid to improve food self-sufficiency, the Government is increasing land under irrigation and procuring agricultural machinery. The initiatives include: 326 hectares weredeveloped under irrigation at Muzvezve and Kanyemba Irrigation Schemes; 350 hectares were cleared for irrigation in the Lowveld Irrigated Agriculture Belt; 98 boreholes drilled for irrigation purposes across the provinces; 429 boreholes were drilled under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme; 5 Piped Water Schemes were completed at Nyamandhlovu, Chitida, Muyambi, Ngomahuru and Gonde; 330 423 kilograms of tick grease were distributed to farmers; 162 059 chicks were distributed under the Presidential Poultry Pass-on Programme; and 995 tractors and 14 combine harvesters delivered under the Belarus Farm Mechanisation Facility Phase 2. A total of 78 789 ha was put under wheat in 2022.

In manufacturing, the projects being implemented in the sector are meant to add value and beneficiate agriculture and mining products. Projects in the sector include the installation of a state-of-the-art leather processing plant by Zambezi Tanners in Bulawayo, the New Blending Plant and Granulation Plants at ZimPhos in Harare, and the Wheat Milling Plant at Mega Market in Manicaland.

The flagship project in infrastructure was the Beitbridge Border Post Upgrading, which was commissioned in 2022 by His Excellency the President and created over 2 000 jobs for the locals.

The report was concluded with reports on the 40th Virtual Session of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDANEPAD) Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee in which the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Abdel Fattah El Sisi, was elected as the incoming Chairperson of AUDA-NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee.