#Headlines

Volunteer doctors to assist covid-19 patients on self-isolation at home

Aug 27, 2020, 11:39 AM | Article By: Arfang M.S. Camara

Gambia’s volunteer doctors have taken it upon themselves to account for positive cases that are self-isolating at home by regularly calling and monitoring their conditions

This disclosure was made yesterday (Wednesday) during the daily covid-19 update as the Health Ministry registered 22 new cases of coronavirus infections, taking the total number of covid-19 cases ever confirmed in the country to 2,708.

The Ministry of Health has also recorded 3 new coronavirus related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths, registered since March to 93, a crude case-fatality ratio of 3.4%.

“Out of a total of 7 posthumous samples collected, 3 tested positive for covid-19. The median age, at death, of the 3 deceased cases (2 females and 1 male) is 60 years (range: 51 to 76 years).”

Health officials say that the new infection cases represent a 22% test positivity rate (22 out of 98 total tests performed), noting that the median age of the new cases is 33 years (range: 9 to 76 years).

According to the Ministry of Health, 98 new laboratory test results were received from MRCG and NPHL, adding that out of these, 5 (1 repeat and 4 new) tests returned indeterminant with10 new recoveries registered, bringing the cumulative number of recoveries, to date, to 611 (23% recovery rate).

“Whereas 17 people were newly taken into quarantine, 278 new discharges were made,” health officials say.

The country currently has 31 people in quarantine, 2,004 active cases, 220 probable cases and a crude case-fatality ratio of 3.4%.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said that the bulk of the active cases are asymptomatic and as such self-isolating at home pending the manifestation of symptoms.