Somalia: Fears of new variant as COVID-19 cases surge

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Amid fears of a new variant spreading in the country, Somalia reported nine more COVID-19 fatalities and 100 new cases on Tuesday. 

“In the last 24 hours, 659 tests were conducted. Out of these tests, 100 returned positive, bringing the total COVID-19 cases in Somalia to 5,373,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The country’s death toll stands at 163, while the number of recoveries has reached 3,750.

The infection rate in Somalia has gone up by 52% this month, according to data from the ministry.

At a news conference in the capital Mogadishu, Health Minister Fawziya Abikar Nur said samples collected from patients have been sent abroad for analysis to confirm if a new COVID-19 variant has been at play in Somalia.

“For the past few weeks, we have witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases. Many people have tested positive and many have died,” Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble said in a televised speech on Tuesday evening.

“To protect ourselves, our families and our people, we should follow the guidelines of the Health Ministry.”