Tuesday April 21, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Somalia recorded 73 cases of COVID-19 Monday, the highest ever noted since the first case last month amid concerns the country could be headed for a crisis as the pandemic spreads rapidly in the Horn of Africa nation.
In what is now becoming a consistent increase of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said Monday evening 73 people had tested positive for the disease with a majority-51 being male.Yesterday’s numbers now add to 237 the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Somalia. One person recovered and another died bringing to eight the confirmed deaths so far.
Somalia has instituted a raft of measures to curb the spread of the disease but social distancing remains a major challenge as witnessed particularly in urban centres such as the capital Mogadishu.
The first case of COVID-19 in Puntland was confirmed Monday adding to close to eight regions outside Mogadishu where the disease has spread to.
The Ministry of Health Monday unveiled a 24-hour call centre staffed with medical professionals to ease tracking and reporting of cases. Two more hospitals have also been set aside to attend to the increasing cases.
The first case of COVID-19 in Somalia was recorded in March 16 but the numbers took an upward trend from early April.