Zimbabwean journalist becomes first person to die of Covid-19 in the country

A 30-year-old Zimbabwean television journalist has died after contracting the highly-contagious coronavirus infection.

Zororo Makamba (pictured) who tested positive for the virus on Saturday become the first person to die in the country from Covid-19.

According to the health minister Obadiah Moyo, Makamba was admitted to hospital in the country’s capital after exhibiting flu-like symptoms last Thursday.

Moyo said the deceased contracted the disease while he was in New York, USA. New York has been put on lockdown after it emerged as one of the hotspots of the virus in the United States.

Makamba had traveled to New York on February 29 and returned to Zimbabwe on March 9.

On March 12, he began to exhibit mild flu-like symptoms. He then contacted his doctor a week later and he was advised to self-isolate. On arrival at the hospital, Makamba developed severe respiratory distress and was kept in isolation under supervision from health practitioners. The Health Minister said in a statement.

Makamba was in isolation at Wilkins Hospital, which is Harare's only isolation facility.

Authorities in Zimbabwe have since started tracing people who came into contact with him.

Over 382,008 cases and 16,558 deaths have been reported worldwide, while 102,431people have recovered.

The coronavirus has hit hard African countries that have so far put in place measures to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

In South Africa, the country with the highest coronavirus cases has so far recorded 402 cases. its government has decided to enforce a three-week lockdown, a move the authority said would help avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.

Most African countries like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania among others have indefinitely closed down all learning institutions as well as banning public gatherings as ways of containing the spread of the virus.