Four more African nations including Benin, Liberia, Somalia, and Tanzania have confirmed their first coronavirus cases on Monday, reported Reuters. The new cases have added to the current tally of African countries affected to thirty, which is more than half the continent.
The Benin government confirmed the first coronavirus case in a statement that revealed that the patient was a 49-year-old Burkinabe citizen. The patient was being held in an isolation ward in the capital after returning from Belgium and Burkina Faso on March 11. The authorities are trying to trace people who came in contact with the affected person.
Liberia confirmed first the case of coronavirus in Nathaniel Balma, the head of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency, who tested positive for the virus after traveling to Switzerland and returning last Friday. The head of Liberia’s environmental protection agency is currently in isolation, whiles contact tracing is underway.
In an address after the confirmation, President George Weah called for concerted efforts to combat COVID19 virus and stressed that the government will do all it takes to ensure that citizens are safe.
Tanzanian Health Minister confirmed the first case of a Tanzanian woman who only returned to the country on Sunday. The affected woman is in isolation at a government hospital.
Somalia’s first case of coronavirus was confirmed by the Health Minister, Fowsiya Abukar, who said on Twitter that the ministry had quarantined and tested four Somalis who came from China last week. Out of the four, one had tested positive for the disease.
As a precautionary measure, the Somalian authorities have announced a suspension on all international flights for two weeks, starting Wednesday, March 18. Even though last week a category of travelers from high-risk countries were banned from entry.
The deadly COVID 19 virus has infected more than 180,000 people worldwide and caused over 7,000 deaths.
