Half of Covid-19 patients recover

MORE than half the people infected with Covid-19 have recovered, as Bahrain has crossed 10,400 cases.

Bahrain has so far recorded a total of 10,449 cases of the coronavirus including 4,734 active cases, 5,700 recoveries and 15 deaths.

Of the active cases, 397 new ones were recorded yesterday including 233 migrant workers and 164 local contacts.

Among the total active cases only 31 are receiving specific treatment, of which 11 remain in critical condition.

The Health Ministry also said that 281 people were discharged from treatment and isolation facilities yesterday, bringing the total recoveries to 5,700.

Bahrain recorded its first case of the virus on February 21, a 27-year-old Bahraini school bus driver (case 1) who arrived from Iran via Dubai.

In an analysis conducted by the GDN based on statistical data from the Health Ministry’s website, it was revealed that majority of the cases are expatriates.

Of the total 10,449 cases, 7,079 have been registered among migrant workers (68pc).

However, when reviewing information mentioned on the ministry’s contact tracing website, which shows details of only 3,450 cases, 776 are Bahrainis (22.5pc) and 2,674 are expats (77.5pc).

More than 40pc of the infected expats are Indians at 1,453, who also form the largest expatriate community in Bahrain, followed by Bangladeshis at 633 (18.34pc), Nepalis 330 (9.5pc), Pakistanis 147 (4.26pc) and 111 others (3.2pc).

One of the cases (case 722) remains unspecified on nationality, a 38-year-old male who was one of the foreign workers tested positive while under quarantine in Salmabad.

A graph showing nationality-wise depiction of the cases

The data also shows that more than 85pc of the cases are male (2,984 cases) compared to 466 females.

The GDN reported last month that international studies have shown that men are more prone to being infected with Covid-19 than women.

More than 85pc of the cases are men

Almost 50pc of the cases in Bahrain fall in the age group of 19 to 35 (1,708 cases), while 0.75pc fall in the elderly category aged 76 and above (26 cases).

The second largest group are those aged 36 to 55 at 1,409 cases, which is 40.8pc, while those aged between 56 and 70 make up 196 cases (5.6pc) and the remaining 111 cases are children 18 and under (3.18pc).

A graph showing the various age groups that contracted the virus in Bahrain

Among the 111 children, 68 are Bahrainis and the remaining 43 are expats.

The oldest person infected with the virus, according to the ministry’s information, is a 95-year-old Bahraini man (case 2709) who tested positive after developing symptoms.

While the youngest is a three-month-old Bahraini boy (case 287) who has since been discharged.

The baby tested positive after coming in contact with two positive cases (cases 246 and 286), the former of which attended a condolence meeting in Jannusan in March.

The Jannusan gathering was one of the first clusters of the virus in Bahrain, which was initiated by a 71-year-old Bahraini man (case 215) who tested positive after he came in contact with two individuals who arrived from Iran in late February.

As many as 49 people contracted the virus from the condolence meeting and scores others were then infected from these individuals.

Twenty-two others also contracted the virus after coming in contact with an infected person, an Indian man (case 193) at Al Mosawi Eye Centre in Bilad Al Qadeem.

Hundreds of positive cases were also reported among people flying into the country, including among Bahrainis evacuated back to the country under the government’s International Covid-19 Repatriation Programme.

Infection

As many as 310 people, who tested positive, arrived from Iran, while cases also include those who returned from neighbouring GCC states, India, Pakistan, US, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Bangladesh and others.

The first cases to be infected from labour camps were reported on March 13 at the Salmabad accommodation of a cleaning company.

Subsequently the government initiated active testing in all registered labour camps across the country and hundreds of labourers tested positive in their housing in Askar, Ras Zuwayed, Sitra, Eker, Naim, Alhassy, Hidd, Malkiya and Nuwaidrat.

The data also shows that hundreds of people, Bahrainis and expatriates, tested positive during random sampling in the community.

Among one of the highlighted cases is a 35-year-old Nepali man (case 885) who infected 117 people.

Another case of a 40-year-old Bahraini man (case 2930), who attended an iftar gathering at his brother’s house, infected 32 members of his family at a time when large family gatherings were banned during Ramadan.

Another similar case was also reported during Ramadan in which 33 members of a family were infected.

Health authorities said at the time that the families failed to comply with health guidelines introduced to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Five of the 15 fatalities registered in Bahrain are expatriates while the rest are citizens, all with underlying chronic health conditions.

All the expats are men, while two of the Bahrainis are women.

Bahrain has so far conducted 304,179 tests for the coronavirus.

Source: http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/824121/Half-of-Covid-19-patients-recover