Kigali: On the 5th Day of the appearance of COVID-19, three new cases have been identified since yesterday night, and they bring the number of infected to eleven, while RwandAir announces that it is suspending its commercial flights for thirty (30) days extendable from this March 20 at midnight, established ARI.
According to the Minister of Health, Dr Daniel Ngamije on Rwanda Television, the three new patients are an Indian, wife of a patient on treatment; a 26-year-old Rwandan who has not traveled recently; and another 46 year old Rwandan who arrived in Kigali on March 16 from Belgium via Ethiopia. All three have joined the other patients and are on treatment.
“We are continuing to identify other people who have been in contact with these infected patients in order to test them as well. Symptoms are flu, cough, and high fever, “said Minister Ngamije.
According to the Ministry of Health, commercial flights, including RwandAir, will be interrupted at Kigali International Airport, from midnight Friday March 20, for an initial period of 30 days. Freight and emergency flights are permitted.
In addition, WHO urges the African continent to strengthen measures to combat and prevent COVID-19. Africa already has 581 infected people and 16 deaths. While 170 countries are infected out of the 193.
The number of people infected worldwide exceeds 219 thousand. 8931 deaths are recorded this morning of March 19, while more than 85 thousand people have been cured of the pandemic, and more than 90 thousand people are still hospitalized.
Favipiravir remains indicated as a drug that gives hope, since it was able to cure 35 patients between 8 and 10 days; which was not the case for 45 other people who were receiving usual treatment.
Reason why Favipiravir has been recommended in China and elsewhere, according to Zhang Xinmin, Director of the Chinese National Center for Biotechnology Development in the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In France, research is continuing on chloroquine which has made it possible to cure ¾ of 24 patients in 6 days, according to Professor Didier Raoul of the Marseille University Hospital.
The WHO says there is hope to have found the drug and vaccine in the next 12 to 18 months.
Meanwhile, Rwandan authorities are alerting the public to fake pharmaceuticals in circulation against COVID-19. Some offenders have been arrested and are behind bars. (End)