Lockdown restrictions have been partially lifted earlier this month. After an alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Mauritius, things are slowly getting back to normal. On Wednesday, only one new case was reported. An employee of the Ministry of Health posted at New Souillac Hospital was transferred to quarantine.
Currently, there are 308 active COVID-19 cases in Mauritius. In fact, 251 patients are considered cured and have been allowed to return home. But it's worth noting that since March 5, a total of 569 cases by local transmission have been recorded. Last week, Mauritius had a record of over 500 cases in a single month, compared to last year.
COVID-19 deaths
Since the first wave, 15 persons have admittedly died due to COVID-19 have been recorded. During the first wave in 2020, 10 deaths were recorded. The five deaths recorded this year are dialysis patients at the Souillac hospital. Four other deaths have not been attributed to COVID-19 since, according to health authorities, the patients were already suffering from other complications.
Dialysis patients who are currently quarantined in a hotel located in Bel Ombre, south of the island, are living with fear, especially since their quarantine has been extended. Namely that the latter are transported daily to the hospital of Souillac for their treatment. But there's a big question mark to the way dialysis patients are being treated. The Ministry of Health claims that stress, change of routine and other factors have added to COVID-19 effects, thus causing deaths.
High infection rates in hospitals
Earlier this week, ward 15 of Victoria Hospital in Candos was closed after a patient tested positive for COVID-19. Note that this ward has been converted into an isolation room. This patient had previously been admitted to ENT Hospital in Vacoas but was reportedly allowed to leave after a few days. Back at Candos hospital, he tested positive twice and was admitted to ward 15. He was transferred to ENT hospital again for treatment. Ward 15 was closed with around 30 patients and a dozen members of the staff. Another patient in the same ward also tested positive.
100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine received from China
On Tuesday, Mauritius received its first stock of 100,000 Sinopharm vaccines donated by China. These will be used to vaccinate 50,000 people from the end of this week. But Mauritius has ordered 500,000 doses in total. The rest of the vaccines are expected in the coming months. However, the efficiency of this vaccine is highly controversial. The director of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention publicly stated that inactivated vaccines have relatively low efficacy compared to other RNA-type vaccines. Last week, however, the WHO confirmed that Sinopharm vaccines are effective against COVID-19 in symptomatic cases.
The Sinopharm vaccine has an estimated effectiveness of 79.34%. Besides, no adverse effects have yet been reported. The vaccine will therefore be administered in two doses. Unlike the Covidshield and Covaxin vaccines, the second dose will be administered within two to four weeks.
