Tests 134,000 cases and more

TDT | Manama

Bahrain continues to aggressively expand its COVID-19 testing measures with the Kingdom as of yesterday testing a total of 134,082 citizens and residents, after detecting its first virus case in February this year.

With over 1500 recoveries, Bahrain also continues to remain as one of the least affected nations in the GCC as the strict measures imposed by Kingdom resulted in preventing an exponential surge in coronavirus infections.

The Ministry of Health, on its twitter handle, yesterday announced making 55 new recoveries from COVID-19 infection, bringing the total number of recovered people in the Kingdom to 1555.

The Health Ministry also registered 129 new active cases, yesterday, of which 104 are expatriate workers, and 25 are contacts of actives cases. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, as of yesterday, is 3169 and deaths eight.

The official toll is far lower than that in the neighbouring GCC countries where the total infections, excluding Bahrain’s, have surged past 56,000. The death toll is over 300. In its latest efforts, the Kingdom has converted several public transport buses into mobile testing centres, before extending the social-distancing measures into Ramadan. 

These stringent actions have also contributed greatly in Bahrain flattening the curve, to bring down the infections to a minimum. The virus confirmed by the World Health Organisation as the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China has now spread to over 212 countries and territories around the world and 2 international conveyances.

Cases worldwide

It has affected over 3,330,000 and claimed over 235,000 lives worldwide, with the only bright spot being the recovery of more than 1,053,000 people all over the world.

Even though, the nations worldwide have started easing the restrictions imposed and started moving in the direction of partial reopening, WHO has warned that the recovery from coronavirus might not protect a person from reinfection. Hopes are also on the rise with an experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir showing promising results in recent US trials.

Cases in GCC

In the past 24 hours, in the GCC, Saudi Arabia has reported more than 1,344 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of infections to above 24,000. The Health Ministry there announced 7 new deaths and 392 new recoveries yesterday.

Total deaths now at 169 and recoveries at 3,163. According to a report, the new cases were confirmed in Riyadh, Madinah, Makkah, Jubail, Jeddah, and Dammam.

Meanwhile, in UAE, Dubai has eased some of the restrictions even as the authorities there announced 557 new cases, taking the total number of cases in the country to 13,038.

The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced 114 new recoveries, taking the total number to 2,543. MoHAP also condoled the deaths of 6 patients. The death toll now stands at 111.

“We have eased some restrictions and allowed people to move around in Dubai. At every stage, we assess the situation and based on the results, we take further steps. We are yet to overcome the danger stage,” said LtGen Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police in a statement carried by Khaleej times.

He, however, said that complete re-opening of public places including beaches and malls depend on the adherence to the guidelines. In Oman, its Health Ministry reported 99 new cases, raising the total to 2,747, including 495 recoveries.

There was no fatality in the country over the past 24 hours, so the death toll remains at 11. In Kuwait, the total number of infections stands at 4,377 with the country reporting an additional 353 cases and 4 deaths yesterday.

Total deaths now at 30 and total recovered at 1,602. Qatar has confirmed 687 new cases of COVID-19, two deaths and 64 recoveries in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases diagnosed in the country is 14,096 with 1,436 recoveries and 12 deaths.