25 Aug 2020

 A total of 120 new COVID-19 positive cases were recorded in Botswana  August 17-22,  says Professor Mosepele Mosepele. 

   Updating the nation  on Monday, Professor Mosepele, who is the presidential COVID-19 task team deputy coordinator, said 73 of the positive cases were Batswana while 47 were foreigners. 

   He said the figures indicated that local transmission was spread across the country as some of the positive cases were reported in places such as Maun, Bobirwa, Mahalapye and Jwaneng. 

Professor Mosepele said to date, over 106 000 tests had been conducted out of which 1 562 tested positive, 603 Batswana and 959 foreigners. 

He said 403 cases were still active, 199 had recovered while the number of deaths remained at three.

On active cases currently admitted at Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital, Professor Mosepele said patients reported varied signs, some asymptomatic while others showed mild symptoms such as headache and loss of appetite. 

Under severe circumstances, he said, patients experienced organ failure and therefore required life support assistance.

He said the new 73 local positive cases indicated that the situation was not satisfactory even though there was a decline compared to the 140 per cent recorded before the last greater Gaborone lockdown.

Professor Mosepele urged the nation to stay focused and work closely with health practitioners as well as to abide by the COVID-19 preventative measures as lowering guard would be opening the country to another surge.

“We must not give up, but let us all take heed of all precautionary control and preventative measures in place in order to control the spread of the coronavirus and ease the workload on health services,” he said.

Meanwhile, Professor Mosepele could not ascertain whether the virus spread easily in winter or not. 

He said because the first COVID-19 outbreak was reported in China during the winter season, some academics were of the view that the virus spread easily in cold weather. 

“Currently countries like the United States of America are still experiencing a surge of COVID-19 even though they are in the summer season as we speak,” he said. Ends