Covid-19 spreading in northern Sudan

Sudan’s Northern State witnessed a significant increase in coronavirus cases the past two weeks. As of July 11, 10,527 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the country.

The number of coronavirus patients in Northern State reached 142, including 45 medical personnel.

Mukhtar El Hadi, the head of the isolation centre in Dongola, told Radio Dabanga yesterday that the centre now receives between three to four suspected cases per day. Most of them come from Dongola locality.

According to El Hadi, the reasons for the noticeable increase of patients during the past 14 days may be attributed to “the eased precautionary measures, the severe leniency of the Sudanese towards the infectious disease, in addition to the shortage of tests for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases”.

Yesterday, the federal Ministry of Health published the latest Covid-19 numbers as of July 11. The number of recorded Covid-19 cases in Sudan reached 10,527 people. At least 668 people died. 5,601 patients recovered.

The majority of the cases, 7,585, has been recorded in Khartoum. Neighbouring El Gezira state has registered 1,031. Central Darfur registered only six coronavirus cases so far, the lowest number in the country.

Precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in Sudan were eased on July 9. The curfew in Khartoum state was limited to 18:00-05:00, and work resumed gradually. The Khartoum International Airport partially reopened.

The delayed Basic School examinations started on July 12. The dates for the secondary school exams have not been announced yet.

Radio Dabanga’s editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.