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Republic of Djibouti: COVID-19 Situation Report #13, 24 July - 6 August 2020

Pays
Djibouti
+ 1
Sources
UNCT Djibouti
Date de publication

HIGHLIGHTS

• Some 5,334 cases of COVID-19 and 59 fatalities have been confirmed by authorities in Djibouti to date. The positivity rate increased in the last days to over 10%. Case-fatality rate remains constant at 1.1%.

• The UNSG launched a policy brief on education and COVID-19, to look at solutions for over one billion children to safely go back to school.

• AfDB approved a 41.16 million USD budget support grant to Djibouti to fight the pandemic.

• The number of returning migrants from Yemen is substantially increasing, with over 700 new arrivals recorded in July.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

• As of 6 August 2020, the Ministry of Health confirmed 5,334 cases of COVID-19 in Djibouti, with 59 fatalities reported since the beginning of the pandemic. A slight epidemiological change occurred since the official opening of airports on 18 July. All arriving passengers at the entry gates for international travel were tested. Out of 1,367 tests carried out among arriving passengers, 91 were positive (positivity rate of 6.7%). All positive cases are being cared for by the health authorities and those who were in contact with positive cases are being quarantined. Engagement is ongoing to advocate for question the application and standardization of public health measures applied to international travel in all countries airports on departure and arrival, in accordance with the 2005 International Health Regulations.

• The trend of number of tests performed is gradually decreasing (279 daily). This may be explained by the recent celebration of the religious holiday of aid el Adha. On the other hand, the positivity rate increased from 1% in the second week of July to 2%, 7%, and 10% in the last three weeks, respectively. The selective nature of the tests carried out on people presenting at least one symptomatology related to the case definition may be a reason for this increase, but also to a relaxation of mitigation and prevention measures among the population. Despite three recorded deaths in the last two weeks; the overall case-fatality rate remained constant (1.1%).

• Describing education as “the key to personal development and the future of societies”, the UN Secretary-General issued recommendations to get children back in the classroom in a policy brief launched on 4 August, alongside a new global campaign called Save our Future. Antonio Guterres said that the pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education in history, with schools closed in more than 160 countries in mid-July, affecting over 1 billion students. the UN chief said at least 40 million children worldwide have missed out on education in their critical preschool year. As a result, Mr Guterres warned that the world faces "a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities." The brief calls for action in four areas: reopening schools, protecting education financing, strengthening the resilience of education systems and using this opportunity to accelerate change in teaching and learning. “The decisions that governments and partners take now will have lasting impact on hundreds of millions of young people, and on the development prospects of countries for decades to come.” (Click here to read policy brief)

• WHO has extended its emergency of international concern over the coronavirus pandemic for another three months, the WHO Emergency Committee said Saturday, following its meeting on 31 July that took place in Geneva. WHO says coronavirus pandemic is likely to be “lengthy” and warns of risk of “response fatigue”. (Read official statement here)