COVID-19 on the rise in Sudan’s capital and El Gezira – public asked to adhere to guidelines

Sudan’s Health Ministry has appealed to the public in El Gezira state to adhere to heath guidelines and observe precautions as new cases of the COVID-19 virus emerge. The state recorded two new cases of Coronavirus on Tuesday, and according to the cumulative report the state recorded 2,177 suspected cases, including 983 positive cases and 206 deaths, from October 22 to February 16.

According to the report, 39 positive cases were also recorded during this period among people in home quarantine and 21 others in isolation rooms. 135 positive cases were recorded among travellers.

The Ministry of Health called on the citizens of the island to adhere to health guidelines to help reduce the spread of the pandemic.

The Emergency and Epidemic Control Department of the Ministry of Health in Khartoum confirmed the registration of 15 cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 17, while the capital continued to record the majority of cases compared to the rest of the localities cumulatively (6,474 cases).

The periodic emergency management report revealed that the total cumulative cases reported in the state as of February 17 (20,530) with a prevalence rate of 22.9%, and the record of two deaths for a total of 931 deaths in the state by 4.4 per cent.

Vaccines

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, officials have announced that plans for the roll-out of vaccines across the African continent will take “weeks if not months” to crystallise.

In an update published on its Facebook page, the General Directorate of Emergency and Epidemic Control reported that since March last year, when the coronavirus reached Sudan, 24,118 COVID-19 cases have been registered. 1,707 patients died, and 18,611 recovered.

There are growing concerns about the number of unrecorded and undetected cases in Sudan. A report from the Imperial College London COVID-19 Response Team in collaboration with multiple partners, revealed on December 1 that an estimated two per cent of COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Khartoum.