As per the Ministry of Health’s daily updates, Somalia is reeling under the weight of COVID-19, which has rendered its fragile healthcare system even more vulnerable.
Six weeks ago, the country reported its first COVID-19 case. Since then, the country has seen its cases skyrocket to 480, which is one of the highest in the region.
COVID-19 is a highly infectious respiratory disease. It has disrupted life in over 180 countries around the world.
Dr. Abdirizak Yusuf Ahmed, the healthcare specialist responsible for leading Somalia’s response to COVID-19, said, “In all likelihood, we fear that the tally could be much higher.”
He also added that the healthcare authorities in the country are probably trying all they can but that does not mean they have captured all the cases.
Dr. Ahmed estimates that the country might have failed to capture thousands of cases since it lacks enough testing kits and contact tracing capabilities.
Further, Dr. Ahmed asserts that many infections are going undetected because of the country’s inability to conduct mass testing.
So far, the country has only been testing highly symptomatic individuals.
Somalia only has three testing labs. One is in Puntland with the other housed in Somaliland, while the last one is in Mogadishu.