Health Minister denies rumour of new confirmed case of Coronavirus in Brikama

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By Ndey Sowe

The Minister of Health on Wednesday dispelled the social media rumour suggesting that there is a new confirmed case of Coronavirus in Brikama.

Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said: “I am not aware of a new case in Brikama and we will let you know when we get any information”.

Minister Samateh was speaking to the press on Wednesday, 26th March 2020 at his office regarding the situation of the global pandemic, Coronavirus.

Dr. Samateh warned that Coronavirus (COVID 19) is not a joke. He challenged everyone to take it seriously to make sure it does not spread in the country.

Abubacarr Sankanu, a member of the National Health Emergency Committee on COVID-19 Risk Communication also dismissed the social media rumour that a case of Coronavirus is registered in Brikama. He appealed to the general public to be responsible and wait for official information from the Ministry.

Modou Njai, the Director of Health Promotion said: “I did not have the information as to whether the whole Numuyel Community is locked down.”

He said he is informed that it is only the compound where the confirmed person is from that has been locked down.

He, therefore, appealed to the general public to wait for official information from them rather than sharing information without an official confirmation from them.

“We want to make it very clear that there is no test of COVID-19 that is done in Brikama”, he said.

He said Brikama does not have any testing facilities and no test is being carried out there.

He averred that even the health personnel in Brikama are not aware of any single case pertaining to COVID-19.

“This is very serious. Nothing has happened in Brikama. We want to tell the public that the information is false,” he said.

He urged people not to rely on social media platforms, adding that the rumour has brought about an alarm in Brikama.