By: Nelson Manneh
The Gambia has on Wednesday registered five new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since March 2020, to one hundred and fifty-eight.
According to information received from the health ministry, three of the decedents were posthumous, one was admitted due to severe pneumonia and the other one was on COVID-19 treatment.
The Country has also registered sixty-six new cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases ever confirmed in the country to five thousand and eighty-five.
62% of the newly confirmed cases tested for reasons of travelling, 30% ill seeking health due to suspicion of COVID-19 and 4% routine respiratory disease surveillance systems. The median age of the new cases is 44.
This is the 279th national situation report since the confirmation of the first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in The Gambia, on the 16th March 2020. The Gambia currently has twenty-four people in hotel quarantine and three hundred and seven active cases.
Modou Njai, the Director of Health Promotion and Education at the Ministry of Health, said a total of seven hundred and forty-one new laboratory test results were received from the National Public Health Lab and the Medical Research Council.
Of these, he said sixty-six new samples tested positive, representing 8.9% positivity test rate.
“Sixty-seven high-risk contacts of recently confirmed cases were identified and their follow-up began in earnest. One COVID-19 patient absconded from one of the treatment centres,” he said.
Director Njai said twelve COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from treatment centres, eighty-three got discharged at least 10 days from the day they tested positive, but evaded institutional isolation. He said seven COVID-19 patients are currently on oxygen therapy.
