COVID-19 update Sudan: more vaccines to arrive

Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Sudan's Northern State whilst positive cases decreased in the Red Sea state. Vaccination rates have gone up in the state and the Red Sea state's minister of health confirmed that new doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine should arrive in the next few days.

The Northern State Ministry of Health confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. In its daily epidemiological report, the ministry said that the number of active cases in the state has risen to 28, which includes three cases in an isolation centre in Dongola.

In the Red Sea state, which witnessed increased COVID-19 cases over the past weeks, authorities announced a noticeable decrease in the number of positive cases following the vaccination campaign. A further 20,632 people have received the COVID-19 vaccine in the state in addition to 2,846 medical and health personnel.  

Governor of the Red Sea state Abdallah Shangarai explained that the recent crisis has majorly shaken up the state’s health system, leading to more health problems in the region. This was said in a meeting headed by Dr Zaafaran El Zaki, director of the state’s ministry of health, in the presence of a delegation of the federal Ministry of Health, the regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other specialised departments.

Last month, El Zaki warned that the rise in cases in the state could have been caused by the Delta variant as the symptoms of this new wave of cases were slightly different from the previous COVID-19 waves.

“The infection rate has been very high in recent days, and we still believe that there are a lot of positive cases that are not reaching the hospital,” El Zaki told Voice of America at the time.

A representative of the federal Immunisation Department confirmed the arrival of more doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the next few days, donated by the United States through the COVAX dose-sharing mechanism.

The representative also stressed the need to intensify awareness campaigns on the virus and the vaccines.

Tuberculosis, AIDS

Dr Maryam Ezzeldin, coordinator of the AIDS and Tuberculosis Programme at the El Gezira Ministry of Health, reported that 1,334 tuberculosis cases were recorded in the state from January to June this year.

According to the state’s ministry of health, El Gezira has 38 centres for the diagnosis, treatment, and control of tuberculosis. The coordinator explained that tuberculosis continues to be a health problem due to a lack of support.

She further stated that the number of AIDS patients receiving free treatment in a civilian centre is 447 at the moment.