By Nelson Manneh
The Gambia has on Thursday 28th January 2021 registered seven new cases of the deadly coronavirus, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country to four thousand and nineteen.
Three of the new cases sought to be tested by virtue of being sick with flu-like symptoms. The remaining four are intending travellers who needed the COVID-19 test certificate. The median age of the new cases is 34.
This is the 256th national situation report since the confirmation of the first case of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in The Gambia, on the 16th March 2020. The Gambia currently has thirty-two people under hotel quarantine and one hundred and eight active cases.
Modou Njai, the Director of Health Promotion and Education, said two hundred and eighty-three new laboratory test results were received from the Medical Research Council and the National Public Health Lab.
Of these, Njai said seven new samples tested positive, representing a 2.5% positivity test rate and no new tests returned undetermined.
He said twenty high-risk contacts of recently confirmed cases have been identified and their follow-up began in earnest, while the 14-day follow-up for 390 has been completed.
“Five new patients got discharged from the treatment centres and twenty-two were released from home isolation 10 days from symptom onset,” he said.
He said thirty-two people were newly taken into hotel quarantine and nineteen were discharged.