Tanzania records 29 deaths amid surge in Covid-19 cases
People wait in a line at the Kimara bus station without adhering to the rules of social distancing despite the confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on April 16, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Tanzanian health authorities have banned unnecessary public gatherings as a new move to contain rise in Covid-19 cases.
Dar es Salaam,
At least 29 people died in the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania and 176 new cases were recorded in a single day, a senior official said Friday.
Dorothy Gwajima, the minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, said the 176 new cases were recorded Thursday alone, bringing to 858 the total number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals.
"I received these statistics yesterday (Thursday). It is most likely that the number of deaths might have risen," Gwajima told a press conference in the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.
"The recorded cases are from Covid-19 patients admitted to our health centers. There might be more other Covid-19 patients in their homes."
She said despite the government's appeal to the general public to observe precautionary guidelines for the pandemic, still there are people who ignore the guidelines.
"Covid-19 is real and people are dying from the pandemic and the economy is being affected," warned the minister.
Tanzanian health authorities have banned unnecessary public gatherings as a new move to contain rise in Covid-19 cases.
On June 28, President Samia Suluhu Hassan warned that the third wave of the pandemic has already swept across the country, with reports from border regions indicating that the situation is alarming.
She reiterated her appeal to citizens to take precautionary measures including washing hands with running water and soap, wearing face masks at all times and always maintaining social distance.
