Week on week Sierra Leone has been registering a significant drop in new cases, by 144 from 192 in week 45 to 48 in week 46 as a result of the readjustment of travel restrictions into and out of the Western Area in the past two weeks.
National updates for yesterday Monday 15th February 2021 showed that after a total of 329 samples were analysed all returned negative. Cumulatively the country has recorded 3,823 confirmed cases with 79 deaths and 2,578 recoveries.
Test samples analysed by both Sierra Leone and Liberia recorded zero new cases while neighbouring Guinea recorded 72 new cases and Cote d’Ivoire, 256 new cases making a total of 328 cases registered in the two Mano River Union basin countries.
Cumulatively, Sierra Leone has analysed 120,187 samples of which 3.18 percent were positive confirmed cases. The downward trend in the number of new reported cases especially after the two-week movement restrictions into and out of the Western Area alongside the ongoing massive tests, and implementation of the strict use of facemasks in public, according to many, formed part of the zero recorded cases.
However, there are 294 persons in nationwide self-quarantine including 161 in Western Area Urban, 54 in Western Area Rural, four in Port Loko, two in Kenema, 12 in Kailahun, four in Tonkolili, 21 in Bombali, 22 in Bo, four in Kono, nine in Koinadugu, and one in organisational quarantine in Bombali district. There are no persons in government quarantine; and nationwide, there are 61 quarantine homes across the country.
So far, a total of seven persons were registered to have recovered in the last 24 hours from nationwide treatment centres including, three persons from self-isolation, three from Bo district and one from Lungi.
According to the national spokesperson for NaCOVERC, Solomon Jamiru, the recent recoveries is a sign that, “If you have COVID it is not a death sentence, it is important to engage in early health seeking behaviour including signs and symptoms that match case definition, and call 117,” he encouraged.
Jamiru noted, “Anyone intending to travel out of the country should visit www.travel.gov.sl to register before travelling.”
He added, “One of the measures instituted was travelling into and out of the Western Area with the introduction of six test sites that are still in full operations for members of the public.”
By mohamed.kabba@awokonewspaper.sl