Health authorities in Liberia have reported that the country has now recorded its first death as a result of the global 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
More than 50,000 people worldwide have died from the globe pandemic since it was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019.
According to the latest update on Liberia, the victim was a 72-year-old John Teah who died at the Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA) Hospital in Paynesville City, Monrovia.
Liberia health Minister Willimina Jallah and information Minister Eugene Nagabe however did not provide further details as to how the victim contracted the virus.
Victim’s family disagrees with government
A family source told Front page Africa that the deceased has a medical history of being a hypotensive patient and was taken to the ELWA hospital on April 2, 2020 before he developed a hipcup which never recover from.
The family source added that the deceased was never a suspect of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile the latest three confirmed cases of the COVID-19 case include the two are health workers – Doris Pratt and David Zenneh, 42, yrs old Liberian allab tech , who are a part of the first responders.
“They were lab technicians,” Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, along with Information Minister Lenn Eugene Nagbe announced Saturday, April 4 on state radio
“So, this means Liberia now has 10 confirmed cases, including one death,” Dr. Jallah added.
Of the 10, the first three including the index case – Dr. Nathaniel Blama – have now tested negative twice and are set to be released to go home soon following observation.
Dr. Blama, Johnny Philips and Linda Russ, who are the first three who have now tested negative twice, are all in excellent health now and will be discharged soon.
Giving the update on Saturday, Information Minister Nagbe said more international groups have sent emails to the Liberian government stating their desires to help in the country’s Covid-19 fight.
According to the Health Minister, there are “enough testing kits” for the number of people who are to be tested. She further stated that daily at least 100 persons walk in to be tested in order to know their statuses.
So far one foreign national was tested positive among the confirmed cases in Liberia.
Mr. Rajiv Dua, an Indian and first foreign national to be tested positive with Covid-19, brought the number to seven on Friday.
