BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
THE number of covid-19 cases remain at two following the reactivation of a negative case (which later became positive), says prime minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Mr Sogavare when delivering his national address yesterday echoed that in the past two weeks the country went down to one positive case of covid-19 but the reactivation of the negative case increased the number to two active cases.
“I am happy to announce, there are no new additional COVID-19 positive case (s) since my last address.
“In the past two weeks we temporarily went down to one positive case for a few days.
“However, one of the newly negative cases had reacted and became positive again, so our official number of Covid-19 cases remain at two,” he said.
Sogavare on the same note assured the nation and the citizens that reactivation is not new as many people who have become negative reactivate even up to two months after detected negative.
“We have already seen this in some of our students that returned from the Philippines.
“This is why our testing regimen for anyone that is positive requires a minimum of three consecutive negative tests after a positive test to minimize the risk of discharging a person that could reactivate,” he said.
Sogavare commends the country’s testing protocol which ensures the country picks up these reactivations before the people who had turned negative are discharged into the community.
“I also applaud the plan to follow-up all the previously positive people for a period of three months after they had turned negative – to reduce any chance of reactivation during this period,” he said.
Sogavare said the country at the moment discharged a total of 14 previously positive people from the government-managed facilities.
He said 10 of the 14 people were due for a review and re-swabbing in the past week.
“I am pleased to advise that nine of the 10 people had been reviewed and re-swabbed.
“I am further delighted to inform the public that all nine swabs had come back negative. The 10th person is in the province,” said Sogavare.
He said for this person’s review and re-swabbing arrangements had been made to be done at the province and the swab will be sent to Honiara for the analysis.
Sogavare said to complete the three months follow-up period since turning negative all these 10 individuals will be followed up for another month.
He said the four people that were released recently will also be followed up monthly for three months to ensure they also remain negative for the full three months.
“To all previously COVID-19 positive citizens, let me convey my personal thankyou to all and to your families, friends, and relatives for your positive response to our call for you to come for your reviews and re-swabbing. This process is critical in our collective effort to contain the COVID-19 virus at our quarantine stations and ensure it does not go out to the community.
“I must emphasize that these follow-ups on previously positive persons are mandatory. They carry penalties if the previously positive persons decide not to come for their follow-ups. The government looks forward to your continued attendance at the follow-up schedules that had been discussed with you to ensure you also do your part in protecting our country,” said Sogavare.
