AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s only positive case of coronavirus has left a quarantine center after a full recovery as local authorities eased restrictions, a local health official told Arab News.
“The man is in good health now after testing negative for the virus twice,” said Riyadh Al-Jariri, head of the Health Ministry’s office in Hadramout governorate.
Yemen detected its first case of coronavirus on April 10. The patient was identified as a government official in his 60s who lives in the southern port city of Sheher in Hadramout.
Local health authorities traced his contacts and isolated health workers and family members who interacted with him. The Supreme National Emergency Committee, a government-led committee tasked with handling the pandemic, also announced that the man has recovered from the disease.
He was asked to take some preventive measures such as limiting his social contacts, wearing gloves and masks, and contacting his doctor immediately if he feels sick within 14 days.
Al-Jariri said several of the man’s direct contacts who developed coronavirus symptoms tested negative, but the man’s family refused to allow health workers to test them.
“When they rejected testing, we kept them indoors for 21 days, which ended today (Tuesday). We’ll be keeping an eye on them in case any of them develop symptoms,” Al-Jariri added.
HIGHLIGHT
Health officials said they will deploy trained volunteers in three districts in Hadramout that the patient visited before falling sick.
Even before officially announcing the man’s recovery, local authorities in Hadramout had lifted a dusk-to-dawn curfew that had been in place since early this month, allowing people to reopen businesses and pray in mosques.
Health officials said they will deploy trained volunteers in three districts in Hadramout that the patient visited before falling sick.
“Those volunteers will go to markets, houses and social gatherings, take people’s temperature and examine if they have coronavirus symptoms,” Al-Jariri said.
Those who are suffering from respiratory problems in the three districts or any other place in the governorate will be tested for coronavirus, he added.
“We’re in need of protective items such as gloves, marks and clothes. We’re also in need of swabs, reagents and thermometers,” he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Yemen said it has provided health facilities in the country, including in Hadramout, with know-how and equipment to enable them to fight the disease.
“The lab staff performing the tests are trained and have the skills to conduct the testing. The reagents also have international standards and were provided by the WHO,” said Jeremias Naiene, an emergency preparedness and response officer at the organization’s office in Yemen.
“There are actually 6,700 tests available in the public health labs across the country … with an additional 3,000 in the pipeline,” he said.
He added that the early detection of the case and the subsequent fast isolation of his contacts may have helped stem the spread of the disease.
