Virus has infected 1pc of population

ONE per cent of Bahrain’s population has been infected with Covid-19, as the country has crossed 17,000 cases.

As of yesterday, Bahrain has recorded 5,330 active cases, 11,903 recoveries and 36 fatalities – bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 17,269.

This means 1pc of the population, which stands at 1,697,405 based on latest United Nations data, has so far been infected with the virus since the outbreak started in Bahrain on February 21.

The country has also been witnessing a dramatic increase in the number of daily cases in the last few weeks, especially among Bahrainis.

Health authorities have attributed this rise to reckless non-compliance of measures put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus, including social distancing guidelines.

They also blamed the increasing transmission among locals as families are continuing to hold gatherings.

An analysis revealed that the number of individuals who contracted the virus from active cases increased after mid-May, amidst Ramadan gatherings that continued until the Eid Al Fitr holiday.

In the latest Press briefing, Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Waleed Al Manea reiterated that precautionary measures to fight the spread of the virus were openly flouted leading to an increase in cases in Bahrain. He had also highlighted that the spread of late has been mainly among Bahrainis, as a result of family visits and gatherings during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.

He revealed that the number of daily new cases among Bahrainis was recorded at 16 on April 16 which went up to 179 on June 2 – a direct result of transmission within families and majlis gatherings.

Contact

The number of cases attributed to ‘local contacts’, which is a term used to define individuals who contracted the virus by coming in contact with an active case, saw a massive jump on May 12 with a recorded 113 new cases.

From May 19 to 21, which were a few days ahead of Eid Al Fitr, the numbers of local contacts went up to 114, 116 and 104, respectively.

While during the Eid holiday, on May 23 and 24, the number of new cases attributed to local contacts was 147 and 105 respectively.

From May 27 until yesterday, new Covid-19 cases attributed to local contacts averaged at around 190, with the highest daily tally recorded on June 8 at 299.

The GDN reported on Thursday that according to latest statistics, 100 infected Bahrainis can transmit the virus to another 180, a rate that has become higher among citizens compared with expatriates.

This is based on the basic reproduction number (RO) for the virus in Bahrain, which is the average rate at which an infected person infects another.

Dr Al Manea said at the time that the RO between May 13 and June 9 stood at 1.83 for the cases among citizens and 1.35 amongst expats.

The Health Ministry also said last week that one positive case of Covid-19 had impacted 91 others, of which almost 50pc were from within one family, while the remaining were from the workplace and within the community.

It was also highlighted earlier in the month that at least 32 cases have been traced back to Bahraini individuals who attended a family gathering.

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/825261