Active cases in Kwebanna declining – Minister Anthony

The surge in COVID-19 cases at Kwebanna, Region One (Barima-Waini) is under control and active cases are declining on a weekly basis, according to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony.

The Minister credited this positive outcome to the measures that were imposed in the community. During the COVID-19 update on Thursday, the Minister stated that there were 37 active cases – a significant reduction from the initial figure. By this weekend, more persons will be discharged.
“The hotspot that we’ve been monitoring is basically Kwebanna. About two weeks ago, we had about 62. Now, we’re down to 37. Over the weekend, we expect to discharge a number of persons, so I think the measures that we’ve put in place in Kwebanna have been working and that’s why we’ve gotten a reduction of cases,” he indicated.
Presently, a medical team is still on site and is continuing to monitor persons in isolation. The Village Council has also aided the Ministry to curb any further spread.
“So far, we are very pleased with the way people have been collaborating and cooperating with us. The Village Council has really helped us and they’ve worked very closely with the Ministry of Health. With their collaboration, we’ve been able to curtail the number of cases that we have in Kwebanna,” Dr Anthony said.
In neighbouring villages, a few cases were detected. A similar approach was taken, where teams were dispatched to the communities, talking to residents about COVID-19 prevention and isolating those who tested positive.
“Those numbers are going down as well. We remain vigilant and the community remains vigilant that we will see those numbers decreasing even further,” Dr Anthony noted.
Kwebanna – located in the Moruca sub-district – was under lockdown for 14 days, following the detection of dozens of new cases last month. This was the second time a Region One community had been labelled a hotspot.
Recently, a decision was also taken to strengthen the medical team in St Cuthbert’s Mission, to ensure that COVID-19 patients are given adequate treatment. As of Wednesday, there were close to 100 cases in the community. On Thursday, there were 168.
Addressing this issue, the Minister said they continued to work in the community to bring the situation under control. The entrance and exit are under watch.
“It’s quite a large village and they’re spread over a large territory. Therefore, sometimes trying to monitor everybody can pose a challenge. However, at the main entrance and exits in St Cuthbert’s, we have been maintaining a presence there and we’ve been deterring residents from going out,” Dr Anthony said.
Dr Anthony cautioned: “As we do more testing, the numbers will go up. We have to get people to self-isolate; we have to get people to reduce their social activity in St Cuthbert’s and I guess once we’re able to accomplish that with some level of social distancing, then we’ll be able to bring the situation under control.”
The Civil Defence Commission is continuously assisting with hampers. Within three weeks, it is predicted that there will be a steep decline in active cases.