DILI, 12 february 2022 (TATOLI) – In the past 24 hours, Timor-Leste recorded 155 new COVID-19 cases, 31 recoveries, and 1416 active cases, said Timor-Leste health authorities.
The majority of the new cases were detected in capital Dili, followed by 11 cases in Ainaro, three in Aileu and one each in Bobonaro and Manatuto municipality.
Since march 1, 2021, there have been 686 people with COVID-19 who have required hospitalization. Hospitalization numbers only include those with moderate, severe, and critical diseases, who need treatment in specialized healthcare facilities for COVID-19.
As of saturday (12/02), 17 people with Covid-19 are in the hospital with respiratory illness symptoms, of which two people are in serious condition.
The average incidence rate of daily notifications per 100.000 over the past week has increased to 13.3 per 100.000 people in Timor-Leste. The incidence rate in Dili has risen to 44.5 per 100.000 people.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in people living in the community in Timor-Leste, with no history of recent international travel. The proportion of tests that are positive has increased. Timor-Leste has entered its third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most cases in the past week were diagnosed in the community, without a history of recent international travel. 300 cases were tested in the National Health Laboratory to check for evidence of the Omicron variant, and all 300 (100%) were suspected to be Omicron variant based on test results.
The Omicron variant is extremely infectious, and it is likely that many people in Timor-Leste will be infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the coming weeks. For vaccinated people, the Omicron variant usually causes milder symptoms than the Delta variant. Some people will still get very sick from it, especially people who are not vaccinated. And if it spreads rapidly through the community, it could lead to significant strain on the health system.
Health authorities said that it is so important that people get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination is the most important way of reducing the risk of severe disease and death from COVID-19.
In the past 24 hours, the National Health Laboratory (LNS) has performed 444 PCR tests in Dili, including 12 via sentinel surveillance, 315 through contact tracing, and 117 via random screening.
The health authorities kept calling on communities to seek treatment at the nearest health facilities if they experience Covid-19 symptoms, such as sore throat, runny nose, fever, coughing, headache, and fatigue.
“Communities need to practice the health and safety guidelines recommended by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the WHO to continue combating the spread of the virus. Regular hand washing, wearing face masks in crowded areas, meeting people outside instead of inside, and maintaining good ventilation can all help to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” said Health Authorities.
Since Timor-Leste’s outbreak began in april 2020, the country has recorded 21.556 cases, 20.017 recoveries, and 123 deaths.
In Timor-Leste, of the 754.864 eligible adult groups, 84.4% had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, of which 71.2% have been fully vaccinated.
The country has so far vaccinated 19.6% of students with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, of which 16.1% have already been fully vaccinated.
Covid-19 vaccination: Municipality Tracker
At least four municipalities have now fully vaccinated more than 70 percent of their adult residents. Four of these municipalities included Dili (82.5%), Viqueque (83.2%), Covalima (77.3%) and RAEAO (73.9%). However, the vaccination rate is low in Ermera and Bobonaro with 53.3% and 54.2% respectively.
So far, Timor-Leste had received a total of 1.573.830 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, consisting of 1.012.850 doses of AstraZeneca, 100.000 doses of SINOVAC, and 460.980 doses of Pfizer vaccines.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
