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The number of expatriates infected with Covid-19 has been on the rise with a 40 per cent spike reported in the last 35 days.
An average of 100 expats contracted the virus daily from November 26 until December 30 – a span which saw a total of 6,235 positive cases of Covid-19 registered across the country.
This compares with an average of around 72 expats a day in the 35 days prior to this period.
Celebrations
The last five days from December 31 until Monday also saw a spurt in the number of expatriates suffering from Covid-19 – 669 out of 1,267 local cases. Bahrainis accounted for 598 cases during this period.
“We are witnessing a temporary spurt in number of expatriates with positive Covid infection in the past few weeks. A reason is thought to be the festive season from October last year with more social gatherings. Many may not have adhered to Covid rules – maintaining physical distancing, wearing masks and washing hands. Add to it the recent travel into Bahrain,” pointed out Royal Bahrain Hospital Internal Medicine specialist Dr Sunil Rao.
“As we are now entering the vaccination phase, it is all the more important that expats register and take the available vaccines to protect oneself and others, break the chain of transmission as well as improve one’s safety when travelling in future.”
According to details revealed by the Health Ministry, 6,235 positive cases of Covid-19 were registered in 35 days from November 26 until December 30. This included 5,828 local cases while 407 were travel-related.
Of the local cases, more than 50pc were expatriates amounting to 3,544, while the remaining 2,691 (43.15pc) were Bahrainis.
This is a 39pc increase in expat Covid-19 patients compared to the 35 days prior to this period.
From October 22 until November 25, there were 7,277 positive cases of Covid-19 – of which 6,990 were local and 287 travel-related. Among the local cases, 4,723 were Bahrainis (65pc), while the remaining 2,554 were expats (35pc).
The GDN reported yesterday that Health Ministry officials have called for strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols, after revealing a cluster of 31 cases from within a Bahraini family, of which 14 are children.
Health Ministry public health assistant under-secretary Dr Maryam Al Hajeri stressed the importance of committing to safety guidelines while dealing with the virus during this stage.
“An attitude of indifference or recklessness might endanger the society and will hinder our efforts in confronting the virus,” said Dr Al Hajeri in a statement.
“It is a social responsibility and the risk of non-compliance will lead to an increase in the number of existing cases.”
She stressed the need to limit gatherings to within small families and when in public, to be outdoors with limited people, alongside wearing masks even at home and maintaining social distance and hand hygiene practices.
Meanwhile, statistics showed that 38pc of local cases were traced through random screening conducted in the community – 2,202 of 5,828 cases, during the five weeks from November 26 to December 30.
Health Ministry’s family physician Dr Hind Ebrahim Al Sindi also reminded of the “threat” of the virus.
“It’s our responsibility towards ourself, our facilities and our community to commit to those precautions to reduce new cases and avoid further rise in numbers,” she told the GDN.
She also reminded that one dose of vaccine was not enough to develop immunity or be protected against the risk of acquiring or transmitting the infection to others.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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