More than half of those infected with coronavirus (Covid-19) in Bahrain in the last seven weeks were citizens, according to Health Ministry’s official statistics.
The country registered 19,465 cases from July 9 until August 26, as revealed in the ministry’s contact tracing details, of which 10,367 are Bahrainis (53.26 per cent) and the remaining 9,098 are expatriates.
The number of cases in a week dropped from the first week compared with the seventh week, with the lowest being recorded in the fourth week (July 30 to August 5) – 2,203 cases. The highest was during July 9 to 15, with 3,630 cases.
The daily average of cases also recorded a drop over these weeks, from 518.6 (which went up from 502 the previous week) to 349. The lowest daily average of cases was recorded in the third week (314.7).
Ninety-nine per cent of the total cases numbering 19,280 were locally transmitted, while 176 were travel-related.
Of the total, 8,202 became infected from close contacts and 4,707 developed symptoms. Random screening in the community recorded 4,699 cases, while another 1,681 tested positive after completing a quarantine period.
During these seven weeks, the ministry identified 38 clusters involving 509 people, a mechanism which it added to the latest update on its Covid-19 website. The weekly updated summary aims to track the impact of contacts.
Among the reported clusters, the largest initiated from case number 32497, during the second week. The 40-year-old expatriate man, who was tested positive after developing symptoms, infected 36 others, including his colleagues and those sharing his accommodation.
Six clusters were reported during the first week involving 77 people, which involved a family gathering. A cluster which started from case number 29715, a Bahraini man of 21 years, infected 27 others at a ma’atam. The index case was identified by the BeAware Bahrain application and the infected family members covered four generations from nine households.
During the second week, five clusters were identified involving 79 individuals, the highlight being case number 32497.
In the third week six clusters were reported involving 68 people, where two cases, both elderly citizens, impacted nine households. Case number 37816, a 60-year-old male citizen who was tested positive after developing symptoms and case number 37288, a 62-year-old female who was tested positive through random community screening, were the index cases.
Five clusters involving 67 people were reported in the fourth week, which included three related to family gatherings. Case number 37212, a Bahraini man, 46, infected 17 others from seven households from a family gathering, while a Bahraini man of 32 years (case number 38983) infected 10 others including siblings and relatives across five different households. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old Bahraini boy (case number 38840) infected seven others from three different households.
At least two out of the six clusters reported during the fifth week were related to Eid gatherings. A Bahraini man, 41, infected 18 others from nine households at an Eid gathering, while a Bahraini girl, 11 (case number 41233) infected eight others from five households at an Eid family gathering. A Bahraini man, 39 years old, (case number 40516) infected 11 from four households, while a Bahraini woman 55 (case number 41023) infected 11 family members from four different households of whom two were aged over 80 years. A 26-year-old female expatriate (case number 40030) also infected a 15-strong family household.
A total of 86 people were infected in total during the week.
HOUSEHOLDS
During the sixth week, five clusters with 61 people were reported, with one (case number 43848) leading to a cluster from an Eid gathering. The Bahraini woman, 64, infected 17 others from seven households.
Five clusters with 71 people were recorded in the seventh week, which highlighted a cluster which affected nine children aged 10 and below. It initiated from a Bahraini woman, 33 (case number 47791).
UK’s Public Health Agency has defined clusters as two or more laboratory test-confirmed cases among individuals associated with a key setting, which could be a workplace, educational establishment or similar place.
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