Sharp decrease in Somalia's COVID-19 infections

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia has recorded a sharp decrease in Coronavirus cases in the past few weeks, something which gives the Horn of Africa nation reprieve has given delays in the acquisition of vaccines that are not readily available from donors around the world.

On Sunday reported 19 new COVID-19 infections from a sample size of 941 tests conducted over the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total number of cases to 14,748. This was a sharp decrease compared to previous outcomes, the health department said.

According to data published by the ministry of health, the country's death toll remains at 773 as no new fatalities were registered in the period. This is one of the fewest records in the Horn of Africa but there are fears that not all deaths are recorded by the ministry.

Of the new cases, 10 were female while 9 were male, the ministry said. The most affected region is Banadir which hosts the capital Mogadishu, and which has recorded many cases since the virus was first discovered in the country.

Some 38 people recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of successful recoveries to 6,943, the ministry added but still, it's difficult to tell the accurate number given that there are those who don't report to health facilities.

Somalia rolled out its mass vaccinations on March 16, having received 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines under the COVAX facility.

On April 11, the horn of African country received 200,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines donated by China to boost its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the vaccines are few given the population of the country and the inability to make acquisitions.

The country has been depending on well-wishers mainly Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the United Nations in getting necessary support towards the fight against COVID-19. The donors have, however, responded very well in recent months.

GAROWE ONLINE