class of the student would be taught online until 1 february. two days later the school issued an apology for issuing false information and stated that the operations of the school had not been halted. on 26 january, the president of the tanzania episcopal conference, archbishop nyaisonga in a letter addressed to archbishops, bishops and retired bishops warned against a "possible new wave of coronavirus infections". on 27 january, president john magufuli expressed doubts about the covid-19 vaccines during a speech in chato, geita region. "if the white man was able to come up with vaccinations, then vaccinations for aids would have been brought, tuberculosis would be a thing of the past, vaccines for malaria and cancer would have been found", he declared. his speech was rebuffed by the regional who director matshidiso moeti who urged tanzania to ramp up public health measures and vaccination. magufuli also rejected lockdown measures, reasoning in a broadcast speech: "i don't expect to announce any lockdown because our living god will protect us. we will continue to take other health precautions, including steam therapy." on 31 january, the alliance for change and transparency announced that its chairman and first vice-president of zanzibar, seif sharif hamad along with his wife and a number of his aides had contracted covid-19 and were in the hospital. he later died while undergoing treatment. on 1 february, health minister dorothy gwajima said that tanzania has no interest in taking part in a vaccination programme, despite encouragement from the who to do so. instead she reiterated the government's suggested hygiene practices, which include drinking plenty of water and taking local herbs. on 10 february, the united states warned that tanzanian health facilities are in danger of being overwhelmed following a sharp increase in cases in january. on 11 february, concerns were expressed by member of parliament zacharia issaay over the high number of deaths due to pneumonia and other respiratory diseases in his constituency mbulu urban. on 12 february, it was reported that major hospitals in dar es salaam were inundated with patients who had covid-19 symptoms. intensive care units at these hospitals were full, and beds, oxygen, and respirators were in short supply. on 15 february, the medical association of tanzania issued a statement linking an increase in respiratory illness deaths to ongoing outbreaks of various diseases including covid-19. the statement also urged health practitioners to educate patients and urged citizens to visit healthcare facilities as soon as they experience symptoms. on 15 february, the oman minister of health said that 18 percent of travelers arriving from tanzania tested positive for covid-19, a number he described as "very high". he also said that oman was considering halting flights from tanzania. on 17 february, seif sharif hamad, 77, vice president of zanzibar died of acute pneumonia related to covid-19. a top aide to president magufuli, chief secretary john kijazi and namibia's third secretary to tanzania selina tjihero also died during the same week. sources close to the matter said they had contracted covid-19. on 18 february, the bar association of mainland tanzania, tanganyika law society, issued a statement calling on the government to acknowledge the presence of coronavirus in the country. on 20 february, who director-general tedros adhanom called on tanzania to start reporting covid-19 cases, share data, implement tried-and-tested public health measures, and prepare for vaccination. on 21 february, president magufuli urged tanzanians to take precautions against the spread of coronavirus in the country. the ministry of health followed up later in the day with a statement saying that people should take precautions including hand washing, eating healthy, exercising, protecting the elderly, and wearing face masks. on 23 february, the czech republic ministry of health announced that three czech tourists returning from zanzibar tested positive for covid-19 with suspicion of the presence of the 501.v2 variant. on 3 march, the general secretary of the tanzania episcopal conference said that over a period of two months more than 25 priests and 60 nuns had died from various causes including respiratory challenges. on 10 march, a kenyan newspaper reported that an african leader was being treated for covid-19 at a nairobi hospital, leading to widespread speculation that it may be president magufuli, who had not been seen in public since february. on 11 march, who regional director matshidiso moeti praised tanzania for the action taken on 21 february but called for covid-19 testing procedures recommended by the who to be followed, a return to transparency and data sharing, and a roll-out of vaccines. on 17 march, vice-president samia suluhu hassan announced that president magufuli had died of heart complications. opposition politicians claimed he had contracted covid-19. april to june 2021 on 1 april, john nkengasong, head of the african health agency africa cdc, said that a new variant with as many as 40 mutations had been found in angola among travelers from tanzania. on 6 april, president samia suluhu hassan signalled a change in approach from her predecessor, proposing an evaluation of tanzania's response to covid-19, a more science-based approach and a return to regular publishing of data. on 8 april, changetanzania published an interim report from an online survey carried out in february and march 2021. the results pointed to a rise in deaths and cases from late december, worsening in january and february. on 17 may, the evaluation committee that president samia suluhu hassan proposed on 6 april delivered its evaluation and recommendations. according to the evaluation, tanzania had experienced two waves of coronavirus and risked a third. the committee recommended resuming regular reporting of cases to the world health organization and submitting the necessary documentation for joining covax. on 29 may, zanzibar's president hussein mwinyi announced that the semi-autonomous region would start importing and administering covid-19 vaccine. activists on the mainland urged the government to follow suit. on 17 june, world health organization representatives announced that tanzania had applied to join covax. on 19 june, the director of prevention from the ministry of health warned about signs of an emerging third wave of infections in tanzania and issued instructions to wear face masks, use sanitizer and wash hands. in the semi-autonomous region of zanzibar, 390 persons tested positive between 25 june and 10 august, while 15 persons died. on 28 june, president samia suluhu hassan referred to 100 new covid-19 cases in tanzania, 70 of whom in a critical state on ventilators. july to september 2021 on 6 july, zanzibar began administering the coronavac vaccine to frontline workers following a chinese donation of 110,000 doses. on 7 july, president samia suluhu hassan warned against a third wave of the virus, citing cases recently reported in dar es salaam, arusha, mwanza and many other parts of the country. on 10 july, health minister dorothy gwajima revealed that there had been 408 new cases of covid-19, 284 of whom were on ventilators. on 14 july, health minister dorothy gwajima announced an agreement reached with covax to supply 300,000 vaccine doses. she also undertook to resume publication of twice-monthly covid-19 statistics. by 21 july, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 682, followed by an additional increase of 176 cases over the next two days. the reported death toll rose to 29. as a consequence of the rising number of cases and deaths, new restrictions on movement and gatherings were introduced. the vaccination campaign in mainland tanzania was launched on 28 july. by 7 august, 105,745 persons had been vaccinated. a week later, the number had risen to 207,391. by 8 august, the reported number of covid-19 cases had shot up to 16,970. the reported death toll remained unchanged. a week later, the reported number of cases remained 16,970 while the reported death toll had risen to 50. in the semi-autonomous region of zanzibar, 876 persons tested positive between 10 and 27 august, while the region's death toll increased to 40. by 28 september, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 25,647 and the reported death toll to 714. october to december 2021 by 5 october, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 25,846 and the reported death toll to 719. a week later, the reported number of cases had risen to 25,957 and the reported death toll to 723. by 19 october, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,034 and the reported death toll to 724. three days later the reported number of cases had risen to 26,154 and the reported death toll to 725. by 29 october, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,196. the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 5 november, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,208 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 12 november, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,227 and the reported death toll to 727. by 19 november, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,261 and the reported death toll to 730. by 26 november, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,270 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 3 december, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,309 and the reported death toll to 734. by 10 december, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 26,483 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 24 december, the reported number of covid-19 cases stood at 29,306 and the reported death toll was 737. by 31 december, the reported number of covid-19 cases stood at 30,564 and the reported death toll was 740. modeling by who's regional office for africa suggests that due to under-reporting, the true cumulative number of infections by the end of 2021 was around 26.3 million while the true number of covid-19 deaths was around 33,000. january to march 2022 by 7 january, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 31,395 and the reported death toll was 745. by 14 january, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 32,393 and the reported death toll was 753. by 21 january, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 32,920 and the reported death toll was 778. by 28 january, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,230 and the reported death toll was 789. by 4 february, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,436 and the reported death toll was 792. by 11 february, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,549 and the reported death toll was 796. by 18 february, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,620 and the reported death toll was 798. by 4 march, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,726 and the reported death toll was 800. by 11 march, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,773 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 18 march, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,797 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 25 march, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,815 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. april to june 2022 by 8 april, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,851 and the reported death toll was 803. by 15 april, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,864 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 22 april, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,872 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 6 may, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 33,928 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 13 may, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 35,354 and the reported death toll was 840. by the end of june, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 35,768 while the reported death toll was 841. july to september 2022 by 8 july, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 37,510 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 29 july, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 37,865 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 5 august, the reported number of covid-19 cases had risen to 38,205 while the reported death toll remained unchanged. by 12 august, the reported number