Rwanda has reinforced efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in response to a recent spike in infections, Rwandan State Minister in charge of Primary Healthcare Tharcisse Mpunga told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The Rwandan health ministry reported 231 new cases Tuesday, bringing the national tally to 3,537 cases, with 1,806 recoveries and 15 deaths.
The central African nation has been observing a spike in cases from Aug. 14 and efforts have been made to reinforce measures to contain the spread, said Mpunga in a written interview.
The measures include strengthening epidemiological interventions, such as enhancing laboratory testing capacity, establishing a solid contacts tracing and case management system, and running risk communication and community awareness campaigns aimed at social behavior change, he said.
The country has also initiated a new case management model to provide care for asymptomatic cases who are eligible for home-based care, he said, adding that it provides room in treatment centers for severe cases.
Some biggest markets where cases were identified were closed for disinfection and containment of the virus, and mass testing in markets and on streets was organized to ascertain the prevalence of the pandemic in Kigali in order to conduct appropriate responses, said the state minister.
At least hundreds of cases have been reported from mass testing in Kigali markets, since two of Kigali major markets were closed from Aug. 17 due to a spike in new infections in the city, especially in the two markets.
