COVID-19 pandemic in the Gambia

The COVID-19 pandemic in The Gambia 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 was confirmed to have reached The Gambia in March 2020.

COVID-19 pandemic in Gambia
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationThe Gambia
First outbreakWuhan, China
Index caseBanjul
Arrival date17 March 2020
(10 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Confirmed cases4,090 (as of 30 January)[1]
Active cases170 (as of 30 January)
Recovered3,792 (as of 30 January)
Deaths
128 (as of 30 January)

Background
Main article: Health in the Gambia

The largest hospital in the Gambia is Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), which is a tertiary referral hospital in the capital city Banjul. In 2012 it was reported that there were three other tertiary hospitals, 38 health centres, and 492 primary health posts. The leading causes of mortality in the country are malaria and tuberculosis.[2] There are two medical schools in the country, at the University of the Gambia and the American International University West Africa,[3] as well as MRC Unit The Gambia, formerly run by the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council, and now run by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.[4] Political health leadership is provided by the Minister of Health and Social Care, who is currently Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, the former Chief Medical Director of EFSTH.[5]

Disease prevention

According to the National Health Sector Strategy Plan 2014–2020, disease control and prevention in The Gambia is the responsibility of Epidemiology and Disease Control (EDC). EDC is the focal point for integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR). It emphasises notifiable diseases and diseases of epidemic potential.[6]

Timeline

WHO response

On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of a cluster of pneumonia cases of an unknown cause in the city of Wuhan, China. This outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020, and in turn was characterised as a pandemic by the WHO from 11 March.[7]

March 2020

The first case of COVID-19 in The Gambia was reported on 17 March and received treatment at MRC Unit The Gambia's specialist clinic in Fajara.[8] The patient was a woman in her thirties who had travelled to The Gambia from the United Kingdom on 15 March, and had gone into self-isolation after feeling feverish. The Ministry of Health said it was in the process of contacting and isolating all the passengers on the flight.[9][10]

On 18 March 32 passengers arriving from the United Kingdom were placed under quarantine in a hotel in Banjul. Fourteen of them broke out of the quarantine.[11]

The first death in The Gambia took place on 23 March.[12] By the end of March there had been 4 confirmed cases, 3 of whom remained active.

April 2020

At the end of April there were 11 confirmed cases, 7 more than at the end of March. Eight patients had recovered, the death toll remained 1, and there were two active cases.[13]

May 2020

In May there were 14 confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 25. The death toll remained unchanged. By the end of the month 20 patients had recovered, leaving 4 active cases.[14]

June 2020

In June there were 24 confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 49. The death toll rose to 2. By the end of the month 27 patients had recovered, leaving 20 active cases.[15] Model-based simulations indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t was above 1.0 in June and July.[16]

July 2020

On 1 July, 7 July and 15 July respectively, the State House of The Gambia announced via Twitter further extensions of lockdown, each for seven days. The country is expected to reopen on 22 July if there is no further extension.

In response to an increase in the rate of infection, the country made wearing face masks compulsory effective from 24 July.[17]

During the month there were 449 new cases, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 498. The death toll rose to 9. The number of recovered patients increased by 41 to 68, leaving 421 active cases at the end of the month.[18]

August 2020

There were 2465 new cases in August, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 2963. The death toll increased by 87 to 96. There were 1835 active cases at the end of the month.[19] Model-based simulations indicate that the 95% confidence interval for the time-varying reproduction number R t was below 1.0 in August and September.[16]

September 2020

There were 616 new cases in September, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3579. The death toll rose to 112. The number of recovered patients increased to 2161, leaving 1306 active cases at the end of the month.[20]

October 2020

There were 93 new cases in October, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3672. The death toll rose to 119. The number of recovered patients increased to 3196, leaving 357 active cases at the end of the month.[21]

November 2020

There were 70 new cases in November, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3742. The death toll rose to 123. The number of recovered patients increased to 3601, leaving 18 active cases at the end of the month.[22]

December 2020

There were 55 new cases in December, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 3797. The death toll rose to 124. The number of recovered patients increased to 3664, leaving nine active cases at the end of the month.[23]

January 2021

Gambia's first confirmed case of the B.1.1.7 variant was reported on 14 January.[24] There were 293 new cases in January, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 4090. The death toll rose to 127. The number of recovered patients increased to 3792, leaving 171 active cases at the end of the month.[25]

Government measures

Overseas travel by public officials was suspended by a circular issued by President Adama Barrow on 13 March.[26] Barrow ordered all universities to close and for all gatherings to cease on 17 March.[27] On 18 March, sessions of the National Assembly and hearings for the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission were suspended.[27] Also on 18 March 2020, President Adama Barrow closed schools and prohibited gatherings.[28] Flights from 13 countries were suspended on 19 March. Passengers arriving from a further 47 countries would have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.[29] Football games were cancelled.[30][31]

The only facility with capacity for COVID-19 testing in the country is MRC Unit The Gambia. According to their website, testing is arranged by appointment only, organised through a Ministry of Health specialist phone number.[32]

Response

The governments of The Gambia and its sole neighbor, Senegal, agreed to close their border for 21 days starting 23 March, with exceptions for "essential services" and transporting food and medicine. The Gambia's airspace was also closed, with exceptions for medical flights and transporting goods.[33] Health minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh acknowledged that enforcing the border closure was challenging, but said that the closure was important for fighting COVID-19.[34]

On 27 March, President Adama Barrow declared a state of emergency, ordering places of worship and non-essential businesses, prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people, and limiting passengers on public transportation.[35]

On 28 March, the Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundations donated test kits and personal protective equipment to the Gambia to help fight the pandemic.[36]

As of 30 March, business-people were being arrested for price gouging.[37]

Impact

The tourism industry was affected by the pandemic, causing hardship for Gambians who depend on tourism for their incomes. Many restaurants and hotels were closed, with only a few hotels remaining open for tourists stranded by travel restrictions.[38]

See also

References
  1. "Gambia Coronavirus - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  2. Kretzschmar, Imogen; Nyan, Ousman; Mendy, Ann Marie; Janneh, Bamba (May 2012). "Mental health in the Republic of The Gambia" (PDF). International Psychiatry. 9 (2): 38–40. PMC 6735051. PMID 31508116.
  3. "Medical Schools in Gambia". Access Gambia. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. "Statement on the transfer of Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine" (PDF). MRC Unit The Gambia. May 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. "Gambia: Dr. Samateh Appointed Health Minister". Freedom Newspaper. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  6. "National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2014-2020" (PDF). Ministry of Health. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  7. "Rolling updates on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)". World Health Organization. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  8. "Confirmed Case of COVID-19 In The Gambia". MRC Unit The Gambia. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  9. Darboe, Mustapha K. (18 March 2020). "Gambia confirms first coronavirus case". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. "Gambia announces first coronavirus case". The Jakarta Post. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. "Gambia hunting 14 coronavirus quarantine escapees". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  12. "Covid 19 : Premier cas de décès en Gambie". Senego (in French). 23 March 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  13. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 101" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 April 2020. p. 8. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  14. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 133" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 June 2020. p. 7. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  15. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 163" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 July 2020. p. 8. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  16. 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.
  17. "Covid-19: Gambia makes wearing face masks compulsory". Journal du Cameroun (in French). 24 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  18. "Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report 194" (PDF). World Health Organization. 1 August 2020. p. 5. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  19. "Outbreak brief 33: COVID-19 pandemic – 1 September 2020". Africa CDC. 1 September 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  20. "COVID-19 situation update for the WHO African region. External situation report 31" (PDF). World Health Organization. 30 September 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  21. "Outbreak brief 42: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic". Africa CDC. 3 November 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  22. "COVID-19 and W/Africa: 344 new cases, 8 new deaths in 24 hours". Journal du Cameroun. APA. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  23. "COVID-19 and W/Africa: 1,994 new cases, 31 new deaths in 24 hours". APA. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  24. Colley, Landing (15 January 2021). "Gambia records two UK variant cases". The Voice. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  25. "COVID-19 and W/Africa: 3,461 new cases, 36 new deaths in 24 hours". APA news. APA. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  26. "Gambia Suspends Overseas Travels By Public Officials To Curb Spread Of Coronavirus". Foroyaa. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. "COVID-19: Gambia, Senegal to close border for 21 days". Anadolou Agency. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. "Gambia suspends parliament over coronavirus". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  29. "COVID-19: Gambia suspends flights from 13 countries". The Point. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. "Football Banned For 21 Days In The Gambia". Foroyaa Newspaper. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  31. "Coronavirus outbreak discontinues Gambian leagues". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  32. "Information on COVID-19 Testing at the MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM". MRC Unit The Gambia. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  33. "COVID-19: Gambia, Senegal to close the border for 21 days". Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  34. "Health Minister Calls on People to Respect the Border Closure". Foroyaa Newspaper. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  35. Mbai, Pa Nderry (27 March 2020). "BARROW DECLARES A STATE OF EMERGENCY, AMID CORONA INFECTION CASES IN THE GAMBIA!". Freedom Newspaper. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  36. "Gambia receives support to contain spread of COVID-19 - Gambia". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  37. "Police Arrest Traders for Over pricing Commodities". Foroyaa Newspaper. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  38. "Coronavirus Cripples Gambia's Leisure Industry". Foroyaa Newspaper. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.


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