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Mozambique: 91 Covid-19 cases; Maputo Port worker infected from unknown source
2:52 CAT | 11 May 2020
Photo: A Verdade
The National Director of Public Health on Sunday (10th) announced a further four positive Covid-19 cases, bringing to 91 the number of people so far infected in Mozambique.
Dr. Rosa Marlene also revealed that the Mozambican diagnosed with Covid-19 on May 1, whose source of infection has not yet been determined, is a Port of Maputo worker. Despite the declaration of a state of emergency, Mozambique’s main ports have not been closed and continue to receive vessels.
Over the weekend, the National Institute of Health tested 174 more suspected cases of Covid-19; 78 from Cabo Delgado province, including 22 from Total’s Afungi camp, 76 from Maputo province, and 20 from Maputo city. One hundred and seventy (170) returned negative results, leaving the four new cases.
“We have three individuals of Mozambican nationality, male, aged 32, 34 and 43, and one individual of South African nationality, male, 41 years old, all of whom are workers at the Afungi camp in Palma district, Cabo Delgado province,” Dr Marlene detailed. The four newly infected people are not presenting symptoms, so are complying the Ministry of Health’s home isolation protocol.
New batch of 439 Mozambicans are returning from South Africa
Speaking at Sunday’s press conference (10), Dr Marlene said that “all the Mozambicans who returned from South Africa and were at the Magwaza Transit Centre were tested, and all results came back negative for Covid-19”, but went on to disclose that a new group of Mozambicans, also illegal immigrants in South Africa, were on their way to Maputo province.
“We are waiting for 439 (Mozambicans illegally staying in South Africa) to return. Thirty-nine have arrived and are already at the Magwaza Transit Centre in Ressano Garcia. The [other] 400 we are told were tested in South Africa and all returned negative results, so they are not going to the Transit Centre,” Marlene said. This new batch “will leave the border directly for their places of origin, obviously with registration and follow-up through the Provincial Directorates of the respective areas”.
“Regarding the port (of Maputo) case, the investigation continues. At the moment more than 100 samples have been collected and the results are expected. The patient has mild symptoms, but it has not yet been determined to which transmission chain he belongs. Apparently he is not connected to Afungi, so it could have been a contact in the port (of Maputo). We are continuing to investigate [him] and all [his] colleagues in the company, a service provider to the port.”
Not being one of the 82 cases of local transmission, nor having travelled abroad recently, and having no connection with Cabo Delgado or any individual working at Total, @Verdade understands that the Port of Maputo worker may have contracted the infection from one of the many foreigners who continue to enter the country via the port.
Although the state of emergency limits “the entry of people at land borders, airports and ports, except for reasons of interest to the State, transportation of goods and merchandise by duly accredited operators and health-related situations”, the government did not close the ports of Maputo, Beira, Quelimane and Nacala, the airports of Maputo, Beira, Chimoio, Chingodzi, Quelimane, Nampula, Lichinga and Pemba, and the aerodromes of Inhambane and Vilanculos.
By Adérito Caldeira
Source: A Verdade
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