By Nelson Manneh
The Gambia over the weekend registered four (4) new COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since March 2020 to two hundred and forty-two (242).
The ages of the decedents were 45, 62, 65 and 70 years (3 males and 1 female). They all had severe COVID-19 pneumonia with comorbidities and were all admitted in the COVID 19 treatment centres.
The country also registered 98 new cases, taking the total number of COVID-19 cases ever confirmed in the country to eight thousand, six hundred and three (8,603).
Of these 79 , 44 tested for travelling, 7 tested for suspicion of COVID-19 after being sick, 4 contacted with a confirmed case and 16 wanted to know their COVID 19 status. The cases are composed of 55 males and 43 females with a median age of 34 years.
This is the 351st national situation report since the confirmation of the first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in The Gambia, on the 16th March 2020. Currently, the Gambia has no one in hotel quarantine, but has eight hundred and twenty-five (825) active cases.
Modou Njai, the Director of Health Promotion and Education at the Ministry of Health, said 543 new laboratory test results were received from the Medical Research Council and the National Public Health Lab.
Of these, he said 98 tested positive, representing 18 % test positivity rate. Nine (9) new COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from treatment centres, while 104 got discharged at least 10 days from the day they tested positive but evaded institutional isolation. Also, no new contacts were traced and monitored.