EUMAM MOZ visits Maputo Central Hospital and donates books to the Pediatric library
Covid-19 surpasses “Chapa 100” in Mozambique with new foci in Inhambane and Beira; “We still don’t know” if it is community transmission
3:47 CAT | 12 May 2020
Picture; A Verdae / Graphics by Nuno Teixeira
On the 46th day since the first case of the new coronavirus was diagnosed in Mozambique, the pandemic appears to be about to explode with the diagnosis of 12 new locally transmitted cases, four of them in Beira city and one in Inhambane, where previously not even a suspected case existed. The cumulative number of confirmed cases has now risen to 103.
Among the new patients, who have no connection established with Total workers in Afungi, are two minors “unfortunately, a 7-month-old baby boy and another boy, aged 10,” the Minister of Health announced. “Whether or not we have community transmission, we still don’t know,” he added.
The National Institute of Health held another marathon testing session, processing 250 samples over Sunday and Monday, of which 238 came back negative and 12 positive. “Nine of the diagnosed individuals are of Mozambican nationality, and three are foreigners, all with mild or moderate symptoms,” the Minister of Health announced.
“I must clarify here that most of the cases that tested positive for Covid-19 result from a technique we call ‘active surveillance’, where we go to the health units and look for patients with symptoms, and eventually test them,” the minister explained.
“We have been carrying out this testing procedure all along, and today we have different results,” Armindo Tiago said, clarifying that none of the newly discovered cases are among the hundreds of Mozambicans returning from South Africa or repatriated from Portugal, or on the ongoing Ethiopian Airlines scheduled flights.
“Whether or not this is community transmission, we don’t know yet. It will depend on the investigation,” the health minister acknowledged.
Armindo Tiago detailed the location of the new cases. “In the city of Pemba we have six cases, three of whom are Mozambicans. Of these, two are male, 29 and 60 years old respectively, and one female, 25 years old. We also have two individuals of Chinese nationality, male, 45 and 57 years old, and one individual of Brazilian nationality, male, 48 years old.”
“In the city of Beira we have four Mozambicans. Among these, unfortunately, is a 7-month-old male child and another 10-year-old male, a 52-year-old female and another 24-year-old, also female,” Minister Tiago clarified. “In the city of Inhambane, we have a 29-year-old male Mozambican national, and in Matola, a 47-year-old Mozambican national, also male.”
12 new infections may start 12 new transmission chains
Although the new cases are for now being counted as local transmissions, the Minister of Health explained how investigations proceed in such cases.
“We have new sources of transmission. Our role is not to conclude whether it is local transmission or not before carrying out the appropriate investigation. This is why we send senior members of the ministry to the site – to provide relevant and evidence-based information to bring to Mozambicans. When these studies are completed, we will announce the source of transmission in these new locations. Until then – until the study is concluded – we cannot say if there is any connection with Afungi.”
Asked if the cases diagnosed in Beira city could be related to the Malawian truck driver diagnosed last week, Armindo Tiago revealed that “the study of the profile of the Malawian citizen is still underway”.
“What I can say is that, according to the preliminary data of the epidemiological report, he entered Mozambique on April 20. There is no information on his situation on the 21st, and he then arrives in Beira on the 22nd. When he arrived in Beira on the 22nd, according to information provided by Malawi medical staff, he would already have had symptoms. He left Mozambique on the 24th of April. According to the epidemiological pattern and, above all, the pathophysiology, and taking into account the incubation period of the disease, we may conclude that this individual would have been infected in Malawi before coming to Mozambique, because the minimum incubation period is 2 days and the maximum, 14 days.”
The Minister of Health also clarified that not all the Mozambicans returning from South Africa have been tested yet.
“Regarding the repatriated citizens, we tested 388 individuals but, unfortunately, the numbers were greater those we had initially been provided with, and we ran out of sample collection material. It was already late, so what we decided to do was to prioritise to Mozambicans from the more far-flung provinces. As for those from Maputo province and city, we are currently collecting samples for testing.”
By Adérito Caldeira
Source: A Verdade
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