Somalia registers 64 new COVID-19 cases as tally rises to 1,421

[Deeq A.]

The Somali health ministry on Sunday confirmed 64 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total tally of infections to 1,421.

Fawziya Abikar, the health minister said the majority of the latest cases were recorded in Banadir which have 33, Somaliland 16, Galmudug eight, and Southwest seven.

Abikar said one patient succumbed to the respiratory disease as the death toll so far since the first infection remains at 56.

She said four people recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of people who have been discharged from hospitals to 152.

The minister said 45 of the latest cases which were tested in the last 24 hours are male while 19 others are female persons and the cases are largely due to community transmission.

The spike in the COVID-19 cases comes at a time Somalia is also facing heavy flooding and a threat of desert locust infestation.

The UN has warned that if the virus transmission is not contained rapidly, the patient surge and increasing demand for health care will overwhelm the country’s fragile health system.

The Horn of Africa nation has instituted measures to contain the possible spread of COVID-19 including closing schools, banning large gatherings, and suspending international and domestic passenger flights.

View the full article