A man suspected of having coronavirus dies in Garowe

A man who has been in a quarantine center in Garowe town of northeastern Somalia for days has died on Saturday evening.

The deceased who returned from Ethiopia recently was quarantined in Garowe upon arriving in the town.

According to sources privy to the case, the man underwent a test but died before the result was established, leaving many people with fears that the deceased may have succumbed to the deadly COVID-19.

Puntland government has not officially commentated on this latest report.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of Garowe General Hospital Dr. Mohamud Abdirashid confirmed the death of the man who was in a quarantine center. The official did not clarify whether the man died of the novel Coronavirus which ravaged many countries in the world. Similarly, the director did not mention the name of the man.

The patient whose identity has not been disclosed is reported to have arrived from Ethiopia recently and was isolated after he presented mild fever and coughing symptoms which have since been linked to coronavirus which causes COVID-19.

A video of what is believed to be the deceased in a pickup truck, with masked doctors has been widely shared on social media. CBA can not, however, authenticate the authenticity of the Video.

Neither the federal government nor the local administration has commented on the matter by the time we went to press.

Somalia currently does not have COVID-19 testing centers and relies on WHO run testing centers in Kenya. Health Minister Dr. Fawziya Abikar said Saturday the country was expecting to have the first testing center and equipment ready in 21 days.

Somalia has since confirmed three cases of COVID-19 with the latest being a foreign national who works as a UN contractor. The UN in Somalia (UNSOM) said the patient had been on quarantine for eight days prior.

Elsewhere Spain’s health ministry has announced 838 new coronavirus deaths, marking the country’s highest daily jump in fatalities and bringing its total to 6,528.

Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump backed away from imposing a quarantine in the New York area, instead directing that a “strong travel advisory” be issued for the region to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

The US now accounts for the highest number of coronavirus infections of any nation, recording more than 122,000 confirmed cases on Saturday. The death toll in the country surged past 2,000, more than double the figure two days ago.

Worldwide, the number of cases has reached more than 660,000. Some 139,000 people have recovered, while more than 30,000 have died.