COVID-19 pandemic in Equatorial Guinea

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Equatorial Guinea on 14 March 2020.[2] Equatorial Guinea has a weak healthcare system, leaving it vulnerable to an outbreak.[3]

COVID-19 pandemic in Equatorial Guinea
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationEquatorial Guinea
First outbreakWuhan, China
Index caseMalabo
Arrival date14 March 2020
(3 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Confirmed cases1,664 (as of 25 June)[1]
Active cases1,117 (as of 25 June)
Recovered515 (as of 25 June)
Deaths
32 (as of 25 June)

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[4][5]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[6][7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[8][6]

Timeline

The country's first case was announced on 14 March, a 42-year-old woman in Malabo, who returned to Equatorial Guinea from Madrid.[2]

On 22 March, the country declared a state of alarm, which was needed to facilitate the mobilization of economic and material resources needed to stem the spread of coronavirus. A special emergency fund was also created to curb the virus.[9]

As of 24 March, there were nine cases in the country, all imported. There were no confirmed cases of community spread in the country at the time.[10]

Response

The Africa Oil & Investment Forum was postponed.[11]

The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons waived fees for service companies in order to alleviate the economic fallout from the pandemic.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Noticias de Guinea Ecuatorial , África y el mundo en AhoraEG". AhoraEG (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. "Equatorial Guinea announces first coronavirus case". Deccan Herald. 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  3. Hoff, Madison. "Here are the 24 countries that are least ready for a pandemic". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. "Equatorial Guinea declares state of alarm over COVID-19". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  10. AfricaNews (24 March 2020). "Africa – Outbreak Brief #10: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic". Africanews. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  11. Qekeleshe, Sihle (6 March 2020). "Equatorial Guinea Postpones Investment Conference". Africa Oil & Power. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. "Equatorial Guinea offers Covid-19 relief to service outfits". Upstream Online | Latest oil and gas news. Retrieved 29 March 2020.


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