01 Jan The National Technical Committee for Surveillance and Response to COVID-19 reports on the epidemiological situation from December 16 to 30 in Equatorial Guinea
Under the direction of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MINSABS) and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO)
The National Technical Committee for Surveillance and Response to COVID-19 in Equatorial Guinea, under the direction of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MINSABS) and with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO),organized last Thursday 31 In December 2020, a press conference (the twelfth during the pandemic) to present updated epidemiological data on the evolution of COVID-19 in the country, corresponding to the period between December 16 and 30, 2020.
As of December 30, 2020, 76,864 PCR tests have been performed, of which 74,131 were confirmatory tests with 5,277 confirmed positive COVID-19s. The cumulative positivity rate is 7.1. This rate is 2.5 in the last 7 days. The 5,277 confirmed cases were subject to isolated follow-up in hotels, homes or hospitals; among them, 5,136 were cured and 86 died (case fatality rate of 1.63). There are 45 active cases. A total of 364 health workers have been assigned, 5 of whom have died.
The MINSABS expresses its concern about the data of the last weeks since they show an upward curve, with an increase in confirmed cases and hospitalized patients and one deceased. Also extremely worrying is the appearance of the new strain, in the process of mutation of the coronavirus, registered in several countries with which Equatorial Guinea has strong epidemiological links.
According to the international scientific community, the new strain is up to 70 percent more contagious but less lethal, but the concern of MINSABS is that being a more contagious variant, it significantly increases the chances of getting sick. “In response to this great threat that we are living today, Decree 107/2020 has been sanctioned, which intensifies prevention measures for the virus and Ministerial Order 3/2020 that provides specific control measures related to mobility, reinforcement of air borders, land and sea, as well as organizational elements of the National Health System to face this complex situation ”explained the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Diosdado Vicente Nsue Milang. On the other hand, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare took the opportunity to make an appeal to “not trust and become aware in order to guarantee success in this new epidemiological context.”
See the epidemiological report here.