Authorities in Djibouti on Monday announced the confirmation of 12 new COVID-19 cases.
According to the Ministry of Health, the cases reported in the last 24 hours came from the testing of 509 samples. Consequently, the total number of coronavirus infections in the country rose to 1,035, the highest in the East and Horn of Africa regions.
The country has imposed several measures to contain the spread of the virus such as a nationwide lockdown and closure of its borders, schools and shops. However, reports suggest that citizens have largely ignored many of these regulations.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Djibouti has the highest prevalence on the continent.
Djibouti is a small but strategically important country on the continent given that it that hosts major American and French military bases.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Somalia said on Monday that nine patients at Martini Hospital in the capital Mogadishu died raising the country’s death toll from the coronavirus to 32.
The officials blame privately-owned facilities for failing to report COVID-19 infections early enough and bringing cases at the last minute.
The authorities are working hard to prop up the country’s public health system which has been decimated by decades of conflict and avoid the highly damaging effects of the virus.
The Somali government had also previously put in place measures to halt the virus’ spread such as a night-time curfew and closure of schools.
Somalia has reported more than 400 COVID-19 cases with at least 10 recoveries.
