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Doctors Report Sudden Coronavirus Spike in Somalia

Harun Maruf

   Health authorities in Somalia say the country has been hit by a second
   wave of the coronavirus, blaming travels abroad and public gatherings
   ahead of elections for the increase in cases.

   Minister of Health and Social Care Dr. Fawziya Abikar said cases have
   increased 52% in February compared to January. She urged people to wear
   masks and avoid gatherings.

   Dr. Abdirizak Yusuf Ahmed, director of de Martini hospital, the main
   medical facility for coronavirus patients, told VOA Somali that
   hospitalizations, positive results, and fatalities have all increased
   within the last two weeks.

   About 120 people died in Somalia in all of 2020, and more than 30 have
   died in 2021, he said.

   "The trend that we are observing shows that most of the cases are
   imported and attributed to large-scale public gatherings, where
   essential public health measures are not enforced," Dr. Mamunur Rahman
   Malik, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Somalia country
   representative, told VOA Somali.

   "It is difficult to verify, but owing to election season, many new
   travelers, especially from countries which are currently in lockdown,
   have arrived," he said.

   The overall number of coronavirus cases in Somalia remains small, with
   just 5,183 confirmed cases, and 152 deaths to date.

   Ahmed said it is "epidemiologically possible" that new virus variants
   from Britain and South Africa have reached Somalia.

   He said travelers from Britain and South Africa have tested positive
   for the virus and are now in hospitals. Health authorities in Somalia
   sent samples to Nigeria to verify if new variants exist in the country,
   he added.

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