06 Oct 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed yet another life, this time of a 48-year-old expectant mother of Ramotswa.

Greater Gaborone District Health Management Team (DHMT) official, Dr Violet Baruti, said this when briefing Ramotswa MP Mr Lefoko Moagi on Monday.

Dr Baruti said the woman who had underlying medical condition reported to Siga Clinic a day before Independence Day with breathing difficulties.

She said the woman was later transferred to Bamalete Lutheran Hospital for surgical operation, where she later passed on.

Dr Baruti said her COVID-19 results came out on Sunday showing that she was positive.

Furthermore, she added that this was the second COVID-19 death reported in Ramotswa since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Other than the two deaths reported, Dr Baruti said the DHMT Ramotswa- Otse Cluster, which coveed the Ramotswa constituency had recorded over 100 COVID-19 cases as of  September 4.

Dr Baruti pointed out that among the remarkable recoveries recorded were that of a 90-year-old woman and a one year old child.

However, she expressed concern regarding the school going children, adding that the Ramotswa- Otse cluster had recorded nine cases of five to 10 year olds and four cases of 11 to 15 years old.

She said this showed that schools were recording more cases of COVID-19, hence a call for strict adherence to health protocols.

Dr Baruti further said the Ramotswa - Otse cluster had been able to track and test eighty per cent of its contract tracing clients’ within the 24 hours period.

In addition, Dr Baruti noted that among the local transmissions, women appeared to be mostly affected.

For his part, MP Moagi who is also the Minister of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security stressed the need to adhere to health protocols in the fight against the virus.

He further called upon community leaders to sensitise the community about keeping social distancing, washing hands or sanitising and wearing of masks.

Nevertheless the MP expressed worries over the increasing number of boarder jumpers into the country as they could transmit the virus in Botswana.

However, his fears were confirmed by Ramotswa police station commander, Superintendent Keoagile Tau who confirmed that an illegal immigrant who was in police custody awaiting repatriation tested positive to the virus. ENDS