BY SHAME MAKOSHORI WHEN the pandemic broke out in China this time last year, very few, including some of the world’s most accomplished scientists projected that it would mutate into a deadly phenomenon, which would threaten to wipe out humanity. Sadly, indeed, for 12 months, the world struggled to find the right concoction to keep COVID-19 at bay, until very recently, when a promising vaccine emerged in the United States of America. Still, it is no guarantee that the near genocide that had been inflicted on humanity will subside soon. For many of the world’s poor economies, lives may continue to be lost for months ahead, until global corporations manufacture enough stocks to trickle down to African villages. The temptation was to think that like the H1N1 virus a decade ago, Beijing would invoke its economic mighty and crack down of COVID-19 before it spiralled out of control. Soon, it emerged that this was a different ball game altogether. By Tuesday this week, 1,7 million people had sadly lost their lives in 77,4 million cases reported worldwide, the second most lethal outbreak since 1920/21 Spanish influenza outbreak that cost 50 million lives. During the same week, about 320 people had passed on in 12 400 cases reported in Zimbabwe since March. Journalist, Zororo Makamba became the first known victim of the virus, which forced President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare it a national disaster, immediately rolling out a painful lockdown which closed down a fragile economy and sent thousands of informal traders home. The sad thing was, while governments worldwide provided trillions of dollars in industrial bailouts to stuttering firms as the pandemic spread, Zimbabwe was a completely a different case. The industries were on their own — hence the bloodbath that has been clearly pronounced at the year comes to an end. What followed were 21 days of anger and frustration as food supplies ran out for most families while incomes were lost as companies struggled to pay workers without production. On Monday, the President possibly knew that there was no “Merry Christmas” to talk about when he addressed the nation to mark the Unity Day holiday. “I wish you all Happy Unity Day as well as a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year,” he said. What was clear is Mnangagwa was aware that the pandemic was still wreaking havoc in Zimbabwe, just as in other countries. He dutifully warned people against complacency. This is where all the good news ended. This has been a very difficult year for the economy. Hamstrung by a range of nagging challenges mostly stemming from the pandemic, the economy is seen contracting by about 4,5% this year, after industries struggled  to produce under the gruelling lockdown regimes. One only needs to review corporate data to see why this year’s Christmas will be bleak for millions. At the heart of the crisis are continuing forex shortages, declining buying power and fuel and power supply bottlenecks, which have been compounded by the COVID-19 scourge. Government had promised to intervene by injecting up to