COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti
The COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus spread to Djibouti in March 2020. It is a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[2] Model-based simulations for Djibouti indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t has been stable below 1.0 since June 2020.[3]
COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Djibouti |
First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
Index case | Djibouti |
Arrival date | 14 March 2020 (10 months, 3 weeks and 4 days) |
Confirmed cases | 5,932 (as of 31 January)[1] |
Active cases | 24 (as of 31 January) |
Recovered | 5,845 (as of 31 January) |
Deaths | 63 (as of 31 January) |
Background
Several major world powers have a military presence in Djibouti, including China, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. The country's first confirmed case was a member of the Spanish military, and the entire unit was quarantined at the French military base in Djibouti.[4]
Timeline
March 2020
On 18 March, the first COVID-19 case in Djibouti was confirmed, in a member of the Spanish Special Forces who arrived on 14 March for Operation Atalanta and tested positive on 17 March.[4][5] The infected soldier did not interact with the local population,[6] and Spain announced that the team would be repatriated.[5] A contractor working for the United States Department of Defense at Camp Lemonnier, the largest and only permanent US military base in Djibouti, tested positive for COVID-19 the same month.[7] A total of 30 cases were confirmed by the end of March.[8]
April 2020
On 2 April, the World Bank approved US$5 million in emergency funding for Djibouti as part of the Djibouti COVID-19 Response Project.[9] By 5 April, the number of confirmed cases had rise to 59.[10]
On 9 April, Djibouti recorded its first coronavirus death. There were 140 people infected with COVID-19, while 28 people recovered.[11] On 23 April, the US military in Djibouti declared a public health emergency. By 24 April, Djibouti had the highest prevalence in Africa.[12] A second case in Camp Lemonnier was confirmed in late April,[13] triggering an indefinite lockdown.[14]
There were 1059 new cases in April, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1089. Two persons died from COVID-19 while 642 recovered, leaving 445 active cases at the end of the month.[15]
May 2020
During May there were 2265 new cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 3354. The death toll rose to 24. The number of recovered patients rose by 862 to 1504, leaving 1826 active cases at the end of the month.[16]
June 2020
There were 1328 new cases during the month, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 4682. The death toll more than doubled to 54. The number of recovered patients increased by 3020 to 4524, leaving 104 active cases at the end of the month.[17]
July 2020
In July there were 399 new cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5081. The death toll rose by four to 58. The number of recovered patients increased by 472 to 4996, leaving 27 active cases at the end of the month (74% less than at the end of June).[18]
August 2020
There were 306 new cases in August, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5387. The death toll rose to 60. At the end of the month there were 4 active cases.[19]
September 2020
All four remaining active cases recovered on 1 September. From 1 to 11 September no active cases were recorded.[20] There were 29 new cases in and one death in September, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5416 and the death toll to 61. At the end of the month there were 11 active cases.[21]
October 2020
There were 145 new cases in October, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 5561. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 5441, leaving 59 active cases at the end of the month.[22]
November 2020
There were 116 new cases in November, bringing the total number of cases to 5677. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 5582, leaving 34 active cases at the end of the month.[23]
December 2020
There were 154 new cases in December, bringing the total number of cases to 5831. The death toll remained unchanged. The number of recovered patients increased to 5728, leaving 42 active cases at the end of the month.[24]
January 2021
There were 101 new cases in January, bringing the total number of cases to 5932. The death toll rose to 63. The number of recovered patients increased to 5845, leaving 42 active cases at the end of the month.[25]
Government response
On 15 March, Djibouti announced that all commercial passenger flights would be suspended starting 18 March.[4] Trains were also stopped on 20 March.[6] The World Health Organization has provided personal protective equipment to Djibouti.[6] The government announced the closure of all schools and places of worship on March 19 and 22 respectively. A countrywide lockdown was first announced on 23 March and progressively extended till 8 May.[26]
References
- "Djibouti Coronavirus - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- "COVID-19 pandemic in Djibouti", Wikipedia, 20 May 2020, retrieved 25 May 2020
- Future scenarios of the healthcare burden of COVID-19 in low- or middle-income countries, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London.
- "Djibouti confirms first coronavirus case". The East African. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Covid-19: Spain to repatriate command team from Djibouti after positive coronavirus test | Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Djibouti joins global action to prevent COVID-19 as first case is confirmed in the country - Djibouti". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "U.S. Army Halts Training Over Coronavirus but Then Changes Its Mind". New York Times. 26 March 2020.
- Tobita, Masanori (26 April 2020). "Coronavirus in Djibouti increases risk of China debt trap". Nikkei Asian Review.
- "Djibouti: World Bank Approves US$5 Million in Urgent Support of Coronavirus Response". World Bank. 2 April 2020.
- "Ministere de la Santé de Djibouti". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- "Djibouti says records its first coronavirus death - ministry of health". Reuters. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- "Coronavirus surges in Djibouti as population ignores measures". Al Jazeera. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "U.S. Military's Hub in Africa Fights to Keep the Coronavirus Out". Foreign Policy. 1 May 2020.
- "Lockdown at US military base in Djibouti as coronavirus spreads". Rfi. 29 April 2020.
- "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 102" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 May 2020. p. 10. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 11. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 July 2020. p. 11. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 9. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- "Outbreak brief 33: COVID-19 pandemic – 1 September 2020". CDC Africa. 1 September 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- "Situation COVID-19 à Djibouti" (in French). Ministère de la Santé. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- "COVID-19 situation update for the WHO African region. External situation report 31" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 September 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- "COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update". 3 November 2020. p. 18. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- "Outbreak brief 46: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic". Africa CDC. 1 December 2020. p. 3. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
- Diallo, Oumy (1 January 2021). "Coronavirus en Afrique : quels sont les pays impactés ?". TV5MONDE (in French). Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- "Outbreak brief 55: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic". Africa CDC. 2 February 2021. p. 3. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- "COVID-19 Information". US Embassy in Djibouti. Retrieved 6 May 2020.