19 deaths in a week and 3 cases of the Delta variant have been detected in Mauritius since the beginning of September. Since the reopening of borders, 9 vaccinated passengers have been found positive upon arrival on the Mauritian soil. Should we be worried?
The Delta variant in circulation
The report was made public on Thursday 7 October. Of the 32 samples of positive cases identified between 06 and 28 September sent for sequencing, three cases stand out as they are contaminations with the Delta B1.617.2 variant. They refer to three contaminated Mauritians, one tested on 21st September and the other two on 23rd September. It appears that the virus has been silently circulating in our country. The Health Minister, Dr. Kailesh Jagutpal announced that “the patients, who were detected with the Delta variant as well as the people who have been in contact with them, were all vaccinated and asymptomatic. They are now cured. The other 29 are B 1.1.318.” The Minister’s words imply that the situation is under control.
19 deaths in one week
Most of them are said to be co-morbid cases. Minister Jagutpal announced that of the 19 people who died in the past week, 16 were over 60 years old, had co-morbidities and were not vaccinated against the Covid 19 virus. These victims had been admitted to the New ENT Hospital. In September 2021 only, 2645 people have been tested positive, of whom 1873 were vaccinated. But these figures are not a reflection of reality, the minister said, “the data is still being compiled.” Most of the cases were asymptomatic and in self-isolation.
Positive passengers, mostly Mauritians
Of the 9 passengers who have been tested positive to the entry PCR test, most are Mauritians. They have currently been traced and placed in isolation. There are no details about the imposition of isolation for their families and contacts. “The same protocol will be applied for them, i.e. 10 days of isolation at home unless they show symptoms of other diseases. They will then be admitted to hospital,” the minister said before adding that there have been no new cases on passengers detected since the last 24 hours.
Vaccination on the rise
“873,817 people have already received their first dose, representing 69% of the general population, while some 824,665 people have received two doses, representing 65% of the overall population,” the minister announced.
Concerning the third dose vaccination, 5,094 people have been inoculated. 1,397 adolescents between 15 and 17 years old have already received their first dose of Pfizer vaccines
For Rodrigues, “24, 194 people are primo vaccinated, or 55% and 23, 526 or 54% both,” he said. In Agalega, the count is 1,176 people, including residents, Outer Island Development Corporation workers and foreign workers.
As of Friday 08 October, we have 49 positive cases, 43 asymptomatic cases and 6 cases admitted to the New ENT Hospital. However, the Minister announced that this week, the Ministry has identified 455 positive cases, most of which were vaccinated and in self-isolation. As at date, 1.24% of the population has been infected.
Communicable Disease Guidelines
There are twelve guidelines to strengthen the health system in Mauritius. These guidelines cover the management of the A H1N1 virus, chikungunya and dengue and will be published on the Virtual Health Library of the Mauritius Institute of Health. The aim is to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases. This is part of a strategic plan extending from 2021 to 2024 made possible by the support of the EU through the Reinforcing Health Systems in the Republic of Mauritius (REHSIMUS) project representing a budget of Rs 380 million.
