Tanzania Covid-19 cases jump by 29

Tanzania's Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu. PHOTO | THE CITIZEN | NMG  

What you need to know:

• In a briefing on Wednesday, Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said the new patients are Tanzanians hailing from the commercial hub Dar es Salaam, Mwanza City on the shores of Lake Victoria, and  northern Kilimanjaro.

Tanzania has recorded 29 new Covid-19 cases, the highest single-day jump, raising the tally to 88, the health ministry has said.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said the new patients are Tanzanians hailing from the commercial hub Dar es Salaam, Mwanza City on the shores of Lake Victoria, and  northern Kilimanjaro.

“26 patients are in Dar es Salaam, two are in Mwanza, and one is from Kilimanjaro and all are under the supervision of healthcare providers at specialised treatment centres,” Ms Mwalimu told journalists.

Earlier Wednesday, Zanzibar Health minister Hamad Rashid had announced six new cases in the semi-autonomous island.

Mr Rashid said, five were Zanzibaris, while one was an Egyptian who had arrived in the island on March 15 from Egypt via Dubai, UAE.

“All patients who are Zanzibar residents don’t have a history of travel. All patients are admitted in special treatment centres in Zanzibar,” said Mr Rashid.

Ms Mwalimu added that the health ministry continues to monitor and trace contacts and urged the public to adhere to measures to curb further spread of the virus.

Four patients have died, while 11 others have recovered.

The Covid-19 disease, which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December, has killed at least 126,839 people worldwide with at least 2,004,991 infections.

Some 485,827people have recovered globally, according to Worldometer's count on Wednesday.