Adult woman is the second Covid-19 death in Mozambique, first case diagnosed in Niassa

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Adult woman is the second Covid-19 death in Mozambique, first case diagnosed in Niassa

11:27 CAT | 29 May 2020

Of the 233 cases registered in Mozambique, 207 are locally transmitted and 26 are imported. Of the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases already reported by Thrusday (May 18), 131 are in Cabo Delgado province, 11 in Nampula, two cases in Zambézia, 44 in Maputo city, 22 in Maputo province, 12 in Sofala, three in Tete, one in Manica, three in Inhambane, one in Niassa, and three in Gaza. [Image: A Verdade/Graphics by Nuno Teixeira]

“With sadness, we share yet another death due to Covid-19 in the city of Pemba, in Cabo Delgado province,” the National Director of Public Health announced yesterday.

“This is an individual that we registered as case 222, which we announced yesterday, of Mozambican nationality, a woman in the 45 to 50 year old age group between,” Dr Rosa Marlene told reporters in Maputo.

@Verdade has learned that, like the first death, the citizen lost her life before it was known that she was infected with the new coronavirus.

As of this Thursday (May 29), with the diagnosis of the first patient in Niassa province, all Mozambique’s provinces have confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus. Mozambique also on Thursday reported five more Covid-19 cases – in the cities of Maputo, Nampula and Pemba – bringing to 233, the cumulative number of positive cases.

Contrary to the worldwide behaviour of the pandemic ravaging the world, where the majority of deaths are registered in patients over 60 years of age, Mozambique’s two deaths have been a 13-year-old boy and a woman under 50 years of age.

Deputy director-general of the National Institute of Health Eduardo, Samo Gudo, clarified that the deceased “is under investigation to see [she] has any relationship with one of the other previous cases”.

“To define a death as due to coronavirus, three criteria are combined. The first is epidemiological, which is the existence of the virus in circulation; the second is clinical, which is the presentation of symptoms that are compatible; and the third criterion is laboratory, which it is confirmation by a reliable test, in this case the PCR test,” Dr. Eduardo Samo Gudo Júnior told @Verdade when asked how it was possible to know the cause of death so quickly.

“This individual, however, had underlying pathologies, that is, she had other co-morbidities. And we know that mortality (from Covid-19) is higher in elderly individuals over 60 years of age, and that in individuals who have a comorbidity, the coronavirus can precipitate the progress of the disease and result in death,” Dr Samo Gudo added.

However, the information released by the Ministry of Health contradicts that announced on Wednesday May (27), because it had reported that, of the positive cases – including that of this woman who died – one was asymptomatic and the other had mild to moderate symptoms, with the National Director of Public Health Public stating that they were “in isolation at home”.

@Verdade learned that the deceased was hospitalised on May 22, the date on which her sample was collected. However, as there are only three commercial flights a week between the city of Pemba and the city of Maputo, the sample was only sent on the 25th and only received at the National Health Institute in Marracuene district on the 26th of May. The positive result for Covid-19 was thus obtained on the 27th of May, but the patient had already died on the 23rd.

In the community transmission phase in which Mozambique finds itself, and due to the impossibility of testing the new coronavirus in each of the provinces (the Ministry of Health has a plan to install laboratories in the cities of Beira, Quelimane, Tete, Nampula and Pemba by October) @Verdade again suggests the involvement of the Air Force in the transport of samples to the Maputo. After all, there are two executive jets stationed at Mavalane International Airport.

New evidence of community transmission and explosion of the pandemic in the City of Pemba

Meanwhile, 482 suspected cases were tested over Wednesday and Thursday, six of whom came back positive for Covid-19. Five are Mozambican nationals and one is Briton. One of the newly diagnosed cases is asymptomatic and five have mild to moderate symptoms.

“We have our first positive case In the province of Niassa – a female in the Mavago district aged 35-44 years old, and the result of active surveillance,” Dr Rosa Marlene announced, though unavailable to clarify why the case is considered one of local transmission, since the province did not have any person infected with the new coronavirus.

Also detected through active surveillance in health units is a male person, age 45-59 years old, in the city of Nampula, and another male person in the same age group in the city of Maputo.

Corroborating the evidence of community transmission and explosion of the pandemic in the city of Pemba, more cases were diagnosed there, all male; one in the 25 to 34 age group, one in the 35 to 44 age group and one in the 45 to 59 age group.

According to the Ministry of Health, two of the positive cases identified in the capital of Cabo Delgado province are contacts of positive cases, and one the result of active surveillance.

By Adérito Caldeira

Source: A Verdade